


Danganronpa: Asahina

by Hierarchical



Series: Danganronpa: Asahina [1]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: Character Death, Danganronpa 1 Ensemble, Danganronpa 1 Protagonist Switch, Danganronpa 1 Rewrite, Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc Rewrite, Friendship, Gen, and obviously donuts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-07
Updated: 2018-10-27
Packaged: 2018-11-29 04:58:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 23
Words: 77,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11433630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hierarchical/pseuds/Hierarchical
Summary: Danganronpa Trigger Happy Havoc, but Aoi Asahina is the protagonist. This story will have different cases, murders, interactions, et cetera while still keeping to the usual formula of Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc.Join the Ultimate Swimming Pro, Aoi Asahina, as she's locked within a school, once known as Hope's Peak Academy, now turned the treacherous location of a killing game held by a malicious black and white bear, with fifteen other students, all bearing an Ultimate talent, just like her. Will she survive the maddening, or give into the despair of the whole ordeal?





	1. The Beginning

I nearly screamed as I gazed at the super-structure in front of me. There it was: Hope’s Peak Academy. It looked almost as if it was placed in the center of the world itself; it just looked that grand. In fact, it was hard to believe I was there, not many people are accepted into this institution.

You see, Hope’s Peak Academy is a school for Ultimates; the top students from every field imaginable. In fact, they say if you graduate from here, you’d be set for life. And, with hundreds of years of tradition, it sends the cream of the crop into the workforce every year. It was built to raise hope for the nation’s future, making Hope’s Peak Academy, or HPA for short, a very fitting name. There are two things you need in order to attend this school. One, you need to be already attending high school. Two, you need to be the very best at what you do. No ordinary student could enroll here; you need to be scouted by the school itself. And luckily, one of the students to be scouted to enroll was me.

Before we go any further, I should probably introduce myself. My name is Aoi Asahina; if you’re going to have trouble remembering it, try writing it down on the palm of your hand three times, that always works for me. And, as for my talent, I was scouted as Hope’s Peak Academy’s very own, ‘Ultimate Swimming Pro’.

I’ve been swimming ever since I was little and even from elementary school, I was breaking records for every contest I’d entered. So, naturally, it wasn’t hard for someone like me to get scouted, not meaning to brag or anything. But still, I’d never thought I’d be here at Hope’s Peak. The building itself just looked so breathtaking.

“Holy cow… I’m actually here…” I said to myself, as I kept gazing at the academy, scanning it up and down and enjoying the view of it.

Honestly, I couldn’t put how I was feeling into words as well. It was a wide variety of both positive and negative emotions.

I let out a loud gulp and then I noticed it. My hands were sweating. So, in an attempt to try to calm myself; I placed my hands in the pockets of my jacket and began walking around, pacing back and forth at the front of the building. At that moment, I attempted to recall everything I could about the students, trying not to focus on the awe-inspiring legacy of the school. Though it probably isn’t the best option for most people, it was definitely more relaxing to think about all the new friends I could make.

Naturally, with all the legacy HPA has, it has online forums as well. From what I could gather a number of students all with interesting talents were coming this year. For example, one of the students coming is the ‘Ultimate Pop Sensation’. She’s a high school girl who’s also the lead singer for an idol group all over the country.

Then, there’s the ‘Ultimate Moral Compass’. Apparently, he was the model student at his middle school. He had good grades, participated in after-school activities, namely the school’s morals committee, and was also, apparently, the grandson of a former Prime Minister to boot; no wonder someone like him got scouted.

There’s also the ‘Ultimate Fashionista’. She’s been on the cover of lots of fashion magazines. I’ve seen lots of those same magazines in stores all around Japan; she’s pretty popular. She’s probably what a lot of high school girls want to be with all that fame she has.

I also remember then mentioning the ‘Ultimate Gambler’ too. Her title of ‘Queen of Liars’ speaks volumes about what she could do. She’s gambled in life-threatening situations before and won every time. She’s pretty amazing honestly.

There are also other Ultimates, for example: the 'Ultimate Baseball Star', the 'Ultimate Biker Gang Leader', the 'Ultimate Fanfic Creator', the 'Ultimate Programmer', the 'Ultimate Martial Artist', the 'Ultimate Affluent Progeny', the 'Ultimate Writing Prodigy' and the 'Ultimate Clairvoyant' and one 'Ultimate Lucky Student' which was selected via lottery. Though there were other students I couldn’t find information on, I was sure I’d meet them soon enough anyway. I let out a sigh as my pacing came to a halt and I began heading for my new destination, the entrance of Hope’s Peak Academy. I managed to take a couple steps in before I was driven to a halt, by my own body. I couldn’t explain why, but I found it hard to move. Not only that, but my head hurt, and badly; it was a stabbing like feeling from both sides of my head. My vision started to twist and turn, it was almost as if reality itself had turned into a spiral. That, I believe, was my last memory before I collided with the ground, everything went black, and I fell unconscious.


	2. Classroom

Sometime later, I regained consciousness. My head still ached from the dull pain I had previously and the fact that I had collapsed some time ago wasn’t exactly helping. It was a struggle to raise my head and force my eyes open, but eventually, I managed to do it.

Gazing around the room, my immediate surroundings were what seemed to be a classroom; desks, chairs, and chalkboards included. I let out a pained groan. Even though I wasn’t fully conscious at the time, I was still fairly panicked, but admittedly, it was hard to move; I was just so tired. All of that soon changed though when I saw the giant metal plates over what appeared to be the windows. I don’t know if it was pure instinct or not, but something told me something about this situation wasn’t right.

I jolted out of the seat without a second thought, dashing towards the metal plate to the right of me. I began banging the palm, lubricated with sweat from the fear I had prior, against the panel as soon as I had reached it. I wasn’t thinking properly, I just continuously mashed my hand against the surface, leaving a wet print of my hand against the solidity of the plate, injuring it in the process; though, the pain was the least of my worries now.

“Help! Someone help me! Please!” I yelled, my voice shaky.

But, to no avail. No one heard me; no one came. I, Aoi Asahina, had been completely overridden by terror; so much so, tears began to fall from my eyes. Feeling defeated, I slumped to the floor, wiping my eyes with the sleeve of my jacket.

I began breathing deeply in an attempt to calm myself. After all, if I wanted to get out of this place, I’d need to use my head, something, admittedly, I wasn’t too good at. I decided it’d probably be best to try to investigate the room, much like on those crime shows where they investigate for evidence.

Bringing myself back to my feet, I sighed. I wasn’t sure if I was ready for this, but it was just looking for a way out. How hard could it be?

I walked back over to the desk I was once sleeping on and there, I found a line of drool I had left, but also an orientation guide! I picked it up, and surprisingly, the guide was extremely cheap looking. I looked as if it had been scribbled on by a child and was made of a flimsy, poor-quality card; when I opened it, it was the same deal. Next, I checked what was written on the card, and it read:

_Hey there, new kid!_   
_The next semester is about to start._   
_Starting today, this school will be your entire world._

I was immensely confused about the orientation guide’s meaning, but something about it made my stomach churn. Hopefully, this was just some student’s idea of a sick prank and I really was at Hope’s Peak safe and sound, but that didn’t add up with the metal plates. I quickly shook the idea out of my head; if I dwelled on it too long, I’d be reduced to the panicked mess I was previously, and I couldn’t have that happen. Not now.

The next thing that caught my eye immediately was the in-your-face security camera next to me. It would be normal for Hope’s Peak to have security cameras. It was one of the most prestigious schools in the world after all. Yet, like most everything in this room, I still had a bad feeling about it. I peeked into the lens, almost as if expecting to see someone or something inside. Nothing, as I should have expected of course. I deemed the camera as a non-issue for now and continued with my investigation.  
Next, was a large clock which was positioned just above the blackboard. Reading it, I saw the time was now 7:58 AM. I had arrived fairly early, so around thirty minutes or so must have passed.

“Has it really been that long…?” I mumbled to myself, my eyes still locked on the clock, watching the seconds hand progress the more I lingered.

Lastly, I thought it was necessary to check those dreaded metal plates which I had injured my hand on. I walked over to one, gulping as I knocked against its cold, hard surface. It made a clanking noise confirming its nature. It looked like a metal, it sounded like a metal, and now, I could definitely confirm that it was indeed a metal and a very thick and solid one at that. The giant bolts that held the metal in place didn’t look like they were coming off easily either, but that didn’t stop me from trying. Spitting on my hands, I grabbed one of the bolts, and pulled tightly to one side, to no avail of course. The bolts didn’t budge an inch. Though, I probably should have expected that, since, by spitting on my hands I had only made things hard for myself by lubricating them further. But, even if my hands were dry I doubt I would have been able to move them.

Another sigh emerged from my lips as I walked towards the middle of the room, back where I found the pamphlet and began to think aloud.

“Okay, Aoi… What do we know…” I said softly, yet sternly to myself, crossing my arms and clutching the orientation guide as a serious and focused expression appeared on my face. “This place… is probably a classroom inside of HPA… that seems… kinda logical. Then… where did the bolts and plates come from… argh… this isn’t making any sense…”

I raised my left hand up to my hand, scratching it and hoping an idea of what to do would come and then it hit me.

“Oh! If this is Hope’s Peak, then someone else has to be here with me!”

Dropping the pamphlet, I jogged out of the room into the foreign and treacherous hallways, hoping to find someone. I had some idea of what new students would be coming, but as I moved through the hallways, no one, staff or student. I was becoming more and more frightened, and completely unaware of the aura that one could feel throughout the school by those who I would soon find out was just like me.


	3. Luck

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.N. - Sorry for not uploading for a while, everyone. As of recent, my life has been really hectic, but I've promised I have no abandoned this project. Slowly, but surely I've been coming up with new ideas and will keep writing and try my best to get these chapters out, but from the bottom of my heart, I apologize for everyone looking forward to this work. I will keep working!

I sped through the meandering hallways, searching. Searching for an answer for that horrifying sight. Even though it was tough, I mustered up my courage and ran like the wind, fear building up inside of me, but despite it all, my legs wouldn’t stop moving.

It seemed like I was going in circles; I swore I saw that same pillar five times by now! But I didn’t stop, and I eventually faced the consequences of my actions. 

_Thud!_

I rammed into something, my entire body aching as I dropped to the floor and landed on my butt.

“Ow,” a male voice said. “What the heck?”

I rubbed my head, groaning in pain. I certainly was never doing that again. My head pounded relentlessly and my rubbing only seemed to worsen it, but I noticed something. My brain finally registered the voice, and I seemed to have a bit of an epiphany. Someone else?! I instantly looked up, and there I saw him—the ‘someone else.’

He seemed to notice me at the same time and our eyes met. The boy was ordinary in every sense of the word, save for the terrible case of bedhead he had. He was short, wore a green and black hoodie, had light brown hair which seemed to stick up unnaturally in the middle and bright green eyes. It seemed we both had fallen to the floor, and he was in the same position as me, rubbing his head.

“Oh, I’m sorry!” I apologized, offering a small, friendly smile. “I should have been looking where I was going!”

I worked through the pain and stood up, though, I still was still hurt—for such a small guy, a head-on collision with him sure had a devastating aftereffect.

My smile persisted as I offered him a right hand, trying my best to be friendly with the stranger, and to tell the truth, I felt horrible about ramming into him. Much to my surprise, he smiled back, taking my hand.

“It’s alright,” he said. “It was an accident.”

Using all the strength I had remaining I pulled him back to his feet, and he released my hand, dusting himself off.

“Are you alright?” I asked with concern.

“Yeah,” he replied, “and you?”

“I’m okay.”

“Oh, that’s good!” he said, clearly relieved. “It probably isn’t too good for me to bump into a girl like that on my first day.”

“Oh no, it’s okay,” I assured. “You didn’t run into one of those bossy girls; you’re golden.”

“Ah, okay. So, who are you?”

It just dawned on me that I didn’t introduce myself yet, which surprised me, but nonetheless, I extended my right hand once again, this time offering a handshake. “I’m Aoi Asahina, but my friends just call me Hina, so you can too. It’s nice to meet you!”

The boy took my hand and gripped it firmly. “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Hina. My name is Makoto Naegi. It’s nice to meet you.”

I was the first to release, folding my arms. “Right.” I paused. “Makoto Naegi, Makoto Naegi, Makoto Naegi…” I mumbled to myself, going into a bit of a daze as I tried to remember his name.

“Uh,” Makoto said, cocking his head to the side, gazing inquisitively at me. “What are you doing?”

“Oh!” I exclaimed, being broken out of my daze by his question. “Oh right, um, you know the best way you want to remember someone’s name, you should write it down on the palm of your hand three times. I don’t have a pen though, so I kinda just have to remember it some other way, so I keep saying it to myself.”

“Uh huh.” The brown-haired boy nodded. “That makes sense, I guess.”

“Hey, uh, Makoto, right?” I started. “What’s your Ultimate talent?”

The boy paused, and he smiled sheepishly, bringing his index finger to his cheek and scratching nervously. It pried a curious look from me. Did he not have an Ultimate talent? No, that couldn’t be right.

“Actually,” he started, “I’m the Ultimate Lucky Student. I just won a raffle to get into Hope’s Peak. I’m actually just an ordinary guy, sorry if that doesn’t meet your expectations to what you thought I was or something…”

“Huh, oh no, it’s fine!” It really was fine. I didn’t mind the fact that he was the Ultimate Lucky Student at all, but he was probably having a bit of an inferiority moment just being with me. So, I tried the best to give the friendliest smile I could, and I patted his shoulder. “You’re one of us, okay? It doesn’t really matter if you got into HPA by raffle or not, you’re still an Ultimate.”

I tried my best to encourage him, but I could tell he didn’t really believe it, and he thought of me just a stranger trying to be friendly, but even then, he forced a smile.

“Thank you,” he said. “If you’re Aoi Asahina, that must mean you’re the Ultimate Swimming Pro, right?”

“I see you did your research,” I joked.

“Yeah, I looked up some of the students online before coming here. I wanted to be prepared. Are you going to try for the Olympics eventually?”

The thought of the Olympics made my heart pound. I wasn’t sure if I was ready for anything like that just yet; the whole Olympics question was asked to me before by friends and family, but I always wasn’t sure. Though, that fear brought another memory into my mind. That was right, how could I forget?! Those mysteriously blocked windows. The thought of it made my whole demeanor change, and my smile quickly contorted into a frown. We had spent all this time talking like normal students it had made me completely forget about that.

“Hina..?”

“Let’s not talk about that right now!” I shouted. Makoto was clearly started by the yell, stepping back a bit; he must’ve thought I was crazy or something. I was a fair assumption assuming that we were just talking normally not even a minute ago. “I’m sorry,” I apologized. “But let’s not talk about that right now.” I paused, digging my fingers into my arms. “...Makoto, did you see the windows?”

At the simple mention of it, I saw him go completely pale like he had seen a ghost. He smiled nervously, raising his finger up to the side of his mouth, much like he had done before

“...Yeah,” he said. “Must’ve slipped my mind; I can’t believe I completely forgot… Er, something about that just isn’t right though…”

“I agree…”

I felt tension begin to build in the room, diffusing like perfume, carrying the rank stench of unease with it. The more I thought about it, the more scared I became and my imagination began being cruel to me, showing me every possible bad option there was, but it all led to the same debilitating thought: the fact that I was trapped here. What if I was never able to see my brother and parents again? What if I was never able to go outside again? Never able to win again? Never able to eat donuts with my friends again?! The thoughts kept repeating over and over in my mind, but that’s when I was taken out of my own suffocating world by Makoto’s voice.

“Uh, Hina,” he started, and I turned my gaze to look at him. “Things probably don’t look like they’re the best right now, but, think of it this way. If you and I are both here, that means that they’re probably other people here, right? I don’t think that someone would just want to trap the two of us here by ourselves, so we should look for those other people. I don’t know, maybe the school’s headmaster just put us on lockdown or something.”

I listened to his words carefully, and what he said certainly seemed like a possibility. Lockdown, that was it! That was really it, the school was on lockdown! I kept telling myself that, it was what I wanted to believe, but I felt that deep down in my soul, I had thought different, but that didn’t matter. Right now, I had to keep a level head. I tried to push all the dark doubts out of my head and nodded.

“Yeah, that’s gotta be it!” I said, pounding my fist against the palm of my hand. “You’re a genius, Makoto!”

He smiled sheepishly. “Really? I don’t think I’m anything special.”

We both laughed, and I put my smile back on, nodding confidently; well as confidently as I could anyway, but I thought I faked it pretty well.

“So, shall we go?” I asked.

“Yeah,” the brown-haired boy replied. “Where to though?”

He had asked a good question; it dawned on me that neither of us knew where we were going, so I just pointed in a random direction.

“That way,” I said, smirking.

“Uh,” Makoto glanced at me. “You sure? You don’t really look too sure yourself.”

“Wh-What do you mean?” I said, starting to lose confidence myself. “W-We should totally go this way, we’ll find someone. You’re the Ultimate Lucky Student, right? With you around, you’ll bring good luck!”

“...If you say so,” he replied.

And with that, we were both off, heading in a random direction. Each step, I forced myself to remember what Makoto had told me. This place was on lockdown, realistically that was the only answer, but as we walked, we saw no one. No students, no staff, no one. It made me wonder if it was really just us, but that couldn’t be right. Then, we saw them. Maybe it was fate, maybe out of sheer luck, but it was certainly a blessing. Standing before me and Makoto, fourteen other people that looked like they were students.

“Woah, hey, two other new kids?” a male voice said.

Makoto spoke up. “So you guys are all?”

“Yeah, today’s supposed to be our first day of class,” said a feminine voice.

“So, counting them, that makes sixteen?” a deep female voice asked.

“It seems like a good cut-off point,” replied a male voice so strange I could hardly describe it. “But, I wonder if this is everyone.”

Standing before me were all the ‘Ultimate Students,’ there was no doubt about it. I allowed myself to take in their faces one by one, committing all of them to memory. Maybe I was just imagining it, but I was sure there was some kind of aura coming from everyone one of them. They all seemed different unique and that aura was uniquely theirs, but I had one thought when saw them all.

_Holy cow, I’m gonna have a lot of names to remember._


	4. Introductions

“Oh, um, hello everyone,” I said, putting on my best smile. “My name is Aoi Asahina, but my nickname is Hina, but I guess that isn’t important right now... I’m sorry I’m late! Some weird stuff happened and I ended up falling asleep and I woke up in some weird classroom.”

I bumped Makoto’s shoulder with my arm, signaling for him to speak.

“Ow, oh, yeah. Hey everyone. My name is Makoto Naegi, and my situation is the same as Hina’s. I also found myself... asleep.”

“So, it’s these guys too,” a girl with short black hair said.

“Things just keep getting curiouser and curiouser,” said a girl who also had black hair, but it was much longer and was styled in a weird spiral way, almost like drills.

“So strange... I declare beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is a strange situation indeed,” said an overweight boy who wore glasses.

“Uh, what are you all talking about? I seriously have no idea what’s going on here,” I said smiling sheepishly.

“Hang on just a moment! There’s something that we must address!” a boy with spiky black hair said. “Makoto! Aoi! Both of your latenesses are unacceptable! Surely you were both aware that the meeting was supposed to start at 8 A.M. sharp! To be late on your first day unacceptable! I must report you, and you must accept your due punishment!”

“Huh, what, no fair! I got knocked out, I swear!” I blurted out.

“Yeah, it’s not like they wanted to be late,” a girl with strawberry blonde hair tied into two pigtails added. “Or, maybe they did! A boy and a girl ‘mysteriously’ falling asleep and coming back at the same time—that’s kinda suspicious if you ask me!”

The black-haired boy’s face went pale as he tried to process what he was just told, but once it registered his face wet deathly serious. “What?! Makoto! Aoi! Is this true?! Such actions are not appropriate in a school environment!”

Almost in unison, both my and Makoto’s faces flushed instantly.

“Huh, what, no!” Makoto yelled. “It’s not like that at all!”

“Y-Yeah!” I said in agreement. “Not like that at all! We just met!”

A boy who also wore glasses and had blonde hair grunted, clearly annoyed. “Must you all persist with your incessant yelling?”

“H-Hey, she started it!” I said, pointing towards the girl with the pigtails.

She cackled loudly. “C’mon, guys, it’s just a little fun. I’m joking.” Her words rewarded a pout from me, and Makoto just turned away, afraid to show the telltale crimson red color that plagued his cheeks; this just made the girl with the pigtails laugh out loud again. “Really, it is a joke. Anyways, how about how we go around and introduce ourselves to one another?”

“Well, she certainly is something,” the girl with the drill-like hairdo commented softly.

“The hell?!” a boy with an aippa said. “This isn’t the time for friggin’ introductions.”

“Maybe,” said the girl with the pigtails. “But we *should*, even if there are bigger problems at hand here. I mean, how are we even supposed to communicate if we don’t know each other’s names?”

“That is a good point…” said a meek-looking girl with light brown hair.

“Soooo, it’s settled then! Let’s all go around and introduce ourselves!” said the girl with the pigtails.

“I agree!” said the black-haired boy. “Let us all begin with the introductions!”

With a couple grumbles from a few people, we all began going around and introducing ourselves to each other, but the question still stood: who was I going to introduce myself to first? Everyone else already seemed to be engaged in conversation already. That was, everyone but one person—that same meek-looking girl.

I walked up to her and gave her a smile. “Hi, I’m Aoi Asahina! But, I’m sure you knew that already, but you can call me Hina. What’s your name?”

The girl jumped a bit, clearly started. “Uwah!” she exclaimed before looking up at me.

She actually had to look up at me. I wasn’t exactly tall myself, but this girl was really short, maybe almost nearly five feet. I wasn’t trying to judge her or anything, but it was strange to see someone so short. She also wore a green and brown school uniform that just seemed to fit her vibrant green eyes and light brown hair almost perfectly—in an aesthetically pleasing way that was.

“Oh, sorry! Did I startle you?” I asked with concern.

It took a second for her to catch her breath. She deeply inhaled and exhaled, closing her eyes before reopening them. “N-No, it’s fine…” She paused for a second, turning her gaze towards the ground, moving her lips as if she was practicing what she wanted to say for a second before she looked back at me. “Um… Hello, it’s nice to meet you, Hina. I’m Chihiro Fujisaki…”  
I knew this young girl looked familiar. Her name was Chihiro Fujisaki, the Ultimate Programmer. She’s made some of the most cutting-edge technology of the century, and her cute bunny-like demeanor has earned her a legion of male fans, which was pretty weird, but understandable, I guess.

“Oh, well it’s nice to meet you, Chihiro,” I said in a friendly tone. “Ultimate Programmer, right?”

“Yeah, that’s me… Sorry, I get kind of embarrassed when I introduce myself like this.”

“Oh, no, that’s fine,” I assured. “I used to be a little bit shy myself, so don’t sweat it.”

“Anyways, it’s nice to meet you, Hina,” Chihiro said with a smile. “I hope we can get along.”

“Yeah, me too. Oh, wait, I didn’t tell you my Ultimate talent,” I started. “I’m the Ultimate Swimming Pro.”

“Um… I know this is out of nowhere, but, Hina, have we met before?”

Chihiro’s question was out of the blue, but it made me think a little. I knew if I had seen her before, I would have remembered, but other than pictures online, Chihiro didn’t look familiar in the slightest, no matter how much I pushed myself to remember some instance where I had seen her before—it actually gave me a bit of a headache.

“Nope, I don’t think so,” I said, moving my right hand up to rub my head, soothing my pounding headache. “I’ve never met you before, I think I would have remembered that.” I whimpered a bit. “Ssss, ah, that hurts a little,” I muttered to myself.

“I’m sorry…” the light brown-haired girl mumbled sadly.

“Huh? Why are you sorry?” I asked.

“Well, ‘cause… you seem upset at me, and I think I may have hurt your head forcing you to think…”

“Huh, no!” I waved my hands in front of me defensively. “It’s okay, really! It’s just something that happens when I think a lot, and I just woke up after being passed out on a desk anyway! You’re golden!”

Chihiro let out a sigh of relief. “Oh, that’s good. I was afraid that maybe you didn’t like me.”

“Oh, no, it’s nothing like that!” I told her.

“Hehe… I’m glad,” she said happily. “It was nice to meet you, Hina.”

“Yeah, it was nice meeting you too, um, Chihiro, right?”

“Yeah, Chihiro Fujisaki.”

“Right. Chihiro Fujisaki… Chihiro Fujisaki… Chihiro Fujisaki…” I whispered to myself.

“Um, what are you doing...?” Chihiro asked, seemingly a bit frightened I was calling her name over and over.

“Oh, I’m really bad with names, so I’m trying to remember,” I answered. “I don’t think I’ll forget, but I’ll try not to, Chihiro Fujisaki.”

“Okay, well, it was nice talking to you, Hina. I’m going to introduce myself to the others now.”

“Yeah, good luck with that, Chihiro.”

And with that, the two of us parted ways, and I looked for the next person to introduce myself to. I next noticed someone I couldn’t possibly miss. Right there, was a muscular girl—extremely muscular; if it weren’t for her uniform, I would have thought she was a guy. I decided to muster up my courage and walk over to her.

“H-Hi, I’m Aoi Asahina, Ultimate Swimming Pro,” I said nervously. “Who are you?”

The girl turned to look at me, watching me carefully. I swear, I could feel an intense aura from her that only added to my initial nervousness, but I recognized her. The girl standing before me was Sakura Ogami, the Ultimate Martial Artist. She had fought in over four hundred matches and never lost a single one, but that wasn’t all. The thread I had checked had called her Ogre; some thought she was the closest relative to primates—’the famed missing link’, they called it. It warned new Hope’s Peak Academy students that if they had seen her, to avoid her at all costs. I didn’t want to be mean, but standing before her I could see it.

“I am Sakura Ogami,” Sakura finally said.

“W-Well, it’s nice to meet you, Sakura,” I said, still a bit nervous.

I just observed her. Well, more like I observed her muscles. They were so huge, I couldn’t believe it. There was no doubt that she could beat any other high school boy in a fight. But, just everything about her was so frightening. I couldn’t believe my eyes seeing her up close.

“Hey, you,” Sakura said, snapping me out of my daze.

“Me?!”

Suddenly, Sakura did something strange. She began to prod all over my body as if she was feeling for something. It made me feel a little bit uncomfortable, but I was a bit too afraid to say anything.

“Muscular quality and quantity is impressive for a high school student. Strong legs, as expected of the Ultimate Swimming Pro. Strong arms as well. It seems that you would be a sufficient enough training partner.”

“...Thanks?” It took a couple seconds for her words to register in my brain, but then I realized and hearing it made me a little happy. The Ultimate Martial Artist said I was good enough to be her training partner, though she still made me feel a little uncomfortable being around her. But, in all fairness, I didn’t know her very well, but she still seemed really intense. “I-I mean, thanks! It’s an honor that you’d say so!”

I wasn’t too sure on how to react to that. Sure, her statement made me feel nice, but what was standing before me seemed too unbelievable—too frightening. I didn’t notice it before, by my knees buckled in fear; it must’ve been pretty apparent because Sakura commented on it.

“Are you scared?” she asked.

“W-What, n-no!”

“I see,” Sakura said, folding her arms and continuing to analyze me. “Well, you don’t need to lie, but if you are, I won’t hurt you. I’ll end this conversation here, Hina.”

“Y-Yeah, it was nice to meet you, Sakura.”

I quickly scurried away from Sakura, keeping my eyes on her as I moved back and she left without a second thought, but I could tell there was a bit of hurt in her eyes. It made me feel terrible—she was a person after all—but still, she had that petrifying aura.

Before I could gather my thoughts and choose the next person to talk to, I bumped into someone once again. Thud!

“Ah!”

Someone fell to the floor with an audible thud, which prompted fifteen pairs of eyes to look over to the chaos. I had accidentally hit the boy who was chewing me out earlier and had caused him to fall back onto the floor.

“Oh my gosh, I’m sorry!” I apologized, offering him a hand.

“Oh, it’s alright,” he replied, gripping my hand. With all my might, I pulled him to his feet and he dusted himself off. “Aoi Asahina, if I remember correctly.”

“Yeah, that’s me, but you can call me Hina, everyone already does anyway,” I said. “Sorry again for the fall… Are you okay?”

He nodded, and confidently placed his hands on his hips. “It’s nothing, I’m fine.”

“Woah, what a fall,” said the girl with the pigtails from earlier. She made me jump a little. I hadn’t even noticed, but she was there the entire time. “Watch where you’re going there, Hina, or you’ll cause someone to fall into a ditch one of these days.” She playfully stuck out her tongue at me, and if I was confused before, now I really wasn’t sure what to think.

“Ah, you prefer Hina, right?” the black-haired boy asked.

“I guess, yeah?” I replied. “People can pronounce ‘Aoi’ wrong a lot, so I guess I’m just used to Hina by now.”

“Ah, Hina it is then,” the boy said, placing his hands at his sides and putting on a serious look. “I’m Kiyotaka Ishimaru. I believe in bold simplicity! Let’s work together on our educational crusade!”

So, that was Kiyotaka. Seeing him right there made me feel a bit unworthy. Apparently, he was a flawless honor student that won top awards every year. He’s also known for the work he’s done with his community’s Public Morals’ Committee. You could even see it in the way he dressed—a white tiny uniform adorned with medals and golden buttons. He really is worthy of the title the Ultimate Moral Compass.

“How many times are you gonna use that line, Kiyotaka?” the girl with the pigtails asked, hovering over him. “Really, Hina, he’s said that to everybody here.”

“That’s—” Kiyotaka was abruptly cut off by the girl with the pigtails.

“True!” she finished for him, smiling happily. She then scuttered over in front of me and extended her right hand for a handshake. “Hi! I’m Junko Enoshima, Ultimate Fashionista. Sure you’ve heard of me though, it’s a pleasure to meet the Ultimate Swimming Pro. Sorry to cause you trouble like that earlier.”

I gripped her hand and shook it firmly. I put on my best smile, but something deep inside of me told me that Junko’s apology felt empty like she’d do it again in a heartbeat, but I pushed those thoughts of out my head for now.

I knew I had recognized this girl before though. Her name was Junko Enoshima, the Ultimate Fashionista. She, according to many, was the high school girl with the most charm, charisma, and presence in the whole country. She’s been on numerous fashion magazines, and even from just walking through places like Shinjuku or Tokyo, her face became instantly recognizable to me.

“It’s nice to meet you, Junko,” I said before releasing her hand. “...But you really shouldn’t do that, especially to people you just met…”

“Oh, don’t mind that! Look at what I can do!”

Then, Junko began to do something unsightly. I watched in horror as her eyeballs began moving away from each other in random directions as if they had minds of their own.

“Uwah!” I exclaimed, backing away quickly. To my surprise though I collided with someone once again.

“Ah!”

Once again, Kiyotaka Ishimaru collided with the ground, with an audible crash that resonated throughout the room. Once again, fifteen pairs of eyes turned to the scene.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry!” I apologized, extending my hand.

“It’s… fine…” Kiyotaka feebly grabbed by hand and using all my strength, I pulled him back to his feet.

“Geez, sorry about that,” Junko apologized, raising her right hand behind her head to scratch her hair, closing her eyes and smiling sheepishly in a way that could only be described as ‘anime-esque.’ “I’m a bit of a wild card, don’tcha know?”

“That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try your best to not cause pranks like that and make others uncomfortable, Junko,” Kiyotaka said while he rubbed his head. “I believe there are still certain ways of which we should go about things—we still have rules.”

“Oh, yeah, well fuck the rules!” Junko proclaimed, putting both of her middle fingers up. “Rules don’t mean shit!”

I turned my gaze to Kiyotaka, knowing full well how grim the situation would turn. His face was completely pale, and his mouth agape. The black-haired boy took a step back, clearly offended.

“U-Um…” I muttered to myself, slowly backing away, until suddenly I felt a tap on my shoulder, prompting me to quickly spin on my heels and turn around.

“Yo,” said a boy with spiky red hair. “Name’s Leon Kuwata. What’s up? You’re Hina, right?”

I recognized that name. The boy standing before me was Leon Kuwata, the Ultimate Baseball Star. He played for the national high school champs as their cleanup hitter.

“Oh, hey! Uh, Leon? It’s nice to meet you!” I said. “Wait… uh…” I trailed off, scratching my head. “Man, I’m not going to remember all of these names…”

My muttering seemed to to catch the attention of Leon, who gave me a sheepish smile, scratching the back of his head much like how Junko did. “So you’re bad with names too?”

“H-Huh? Oh, yeah… kinda,” I admitted. “I’ve never been too good with them.”

“Heh, me neither. I can’t even pronounce your first name…”

“Oh, it’s pronounced ‘Ow-ie,’” I told him.

“Right… Hina is easier.” Leon laughed, crossing his arms as he did.

Suddenly, there was a loud ruckus behind me—a shouting match between Kiyotaka and Junko. We all turned to look at the two of them, watching the maddening chaos unfold as Junko was chewed out by Kiyotaka; the strangest thing was, the fashionista seemed to be enjoying it—enjoying the discord. We all were exposed to a very exuberant speech about the importance of rules.

Suddenly though, once again, I felt Leon tap me on the shoulder.

“Man, that Junko girl is weird, huh,” he joked.

“Yeah, kinda,” I replied. “Not to be rude or anything, I mean.”

“Nah, I think she knows. She’s the type to own it.”

“I guess,” I replied. “Hey, if you’re Leon Kuwata, you’re the Ultimate Baseball Star, right? You look different than in your photos.”

“What, aw man, you found that picture of me playing baseball? Seriously?! I hate that picture.” He folded his arms. “Man, that is *so* not cool. I’m mega embarrassed right now. I didn’t have a choice okay? Shaving your head is like, that is part of national championship regulations!”

“Oh, no, that’s okay!” I assured. “I wasn’t trying to embarrass you or anything like that, I just expected to see someone with a shaved head was all.”

“Well, I refuse to cut my hair now, and I’m not gonna dye it back to normal either!” He paused, putting his right hand to his head and ruffling his hair. “Actually, can I be completely honest with you?”

“Yeah,” I replied. “Go for it.”

“Yeah, the truth is… I don’t like baseball. Like, at all. I’ve never even gone to a single practice.”

I was astonished at his confession. He had never really gone to a single practice, and he was that good?! I had been swimming my whole life, and I had worked hard to get where I was, but meeting someone who was that good and had never practiced—astounding honestly. I wondered how good I really was as a sportsperson if people like this existed, could there be someone who could blow me out of the water?

“Woah,” I said. “That’s amazing…”

“Oh, is it? I guess so. Honestly, when I got accepted here, I was planning on quitting baseball for good! I have my own dream for the future!”

“A dream for the future?”

“My only path in life is to get into music? You can feel that star quality aura I have, right?”

“Yeah,” I replied. “You look more like a musician than a baseball player now.”

“I knew it! I’m gonna be a singer, so all I need is a songwriter and someone on guitar, and we’re set! This new version of me that’s chasing my dream is gonna be like… super cool to the max!”

I didn’t expect to be hearing that, especially from the Ultimate Baseball Star of all people to be saying something like that, but it seems like there are all types in this world. Personally, I supported him and I believed he could carry out his dream of being a musician.

“Yeah!” I said enthusiastically. “It’s always good to follow your dreams, but maybe you should keep on playing baseball? With your friends, at least. If you’ve got natural talent for something, you should probably keep on using it.”

“Eh,” Leon started. “Not too sure if I agree there, but I get what you’re saying. Maybe I should give it some more thought? I know I want to be a musician for real though! That’s my passion and that’s what I’m going for!” Leon triumphantly pumped his left fist into the air before putting his hands on his hips. “Anyways, Hina, thanks for the support.”

“Yeah, it’s no problem,” I replied. “It was nice to meet you!”

“Nice to meet you too.”

And like that, the two of us parted ways, and I began looking for the next person to talk to, however that was unneeded as the next person came to me. A girl dressed in a strange gothic lolita dress walked over to me; I recognized her as the girl that was mumbling to herself earlier.

“Hello, I do not believe we’ve been introduced,” she said. “I am Celestia Ludenberg, Ultimate Gambler.”

I gulped, trying my best to smile. “C-Celestia Luden... Huh…?”

“Ludenberg,” she repeated. “But if you don’t mind, I’d prefer if you’d call me ‘Celeste.’”

“Er, okay, Celeste. Where are you from?” I asked curiously.

“Utsunomiya,” Celestia responded. “Why?”

“Um, it’s because Ceremestia Loodenberk isn’t exactly a Japanese name.”

“Celestia Ludenberg,” she corrected. “And, yes! My father is part of a French nobility, and my mother is from a family of German musicians.” Celestia giggled to herself. “ I also *prefer* if you called me ‘Celeste.’”

Even though she was trying to be friendly, Celestia seemed so intense; it was a bit unnerving. I wasn’t sure if I bought the whole name thing, but it was certainly a possibility, so I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt, despite knowing how disingenuous she could be. From what I had seen on the forums, Celeste had never lost a gambling match. People say that other than her love for gothic lolita clothes everything else about her is wrapped in a veil of lies, and apparently, she won an underground tournament, which earned her the title of ‘Queen of Liars.’ She totally wiped out all the other players, and some say she laughed while she did it.

“Okay then, Celeste. It’s easier to do that than to call you Celbrestia Lugenbird.”

“Celestia Ludenberg,” she corrected once again, as calm as ever. “And, if you don’t mind, may I call you by yours? Hina, correct.”

“Right, it’s Hina,” I answered. “But… I think I got it… Ce… Celestia Ludenberg, right?”

“You got it. Celestia Ludenberg. Though Celeste is still easier, and I honestly prefer it.” Celestia looked off to the side and began playing with her hair. “People tend to mispronounce Celestia Ludenberg a lot, so I’ve just grown to prefer the nickname, I suppose. Don’t feel bad, Hina. You’re not the first.”

“Oh, okay, if you say so,” I replied, smiling sheepishly. “Honestly, I’ve never been the best with names.”

“That’s quite alright,” she assured. “Not everyone is so good with names. Anyways, it’s been nice to meet you, Hina, but I have to go meet the others.”

“Yeah, it’s been nice to meet you too, Celeste,” I said. “Good luck with those introductions.”

Celeste left, going over to talk to Kiyotaka. Meanwhile, I paused, taking a second the recite the names I had been bombarded with as of recent. Chihiro Fujisaki, Sakura Ogami, Kiyotaka Ishimaru, Junko Enoshima, Leon Kuwata and Celestia Ludenberg. I listed those names again over and over in my head, fumbling at times, but still ending up remembering in the end. I was only halfway and I still had a bit more to go, but the respite was enjoyable, but I had decided it was time to get back to the introductions.

Everyone had been engaging in conversation, that was, all except for one girl. Sitting on the ground, there was a girl with short black hair, slumped over against the wall. She didn’t look very friendly, but I gathered my courage and began walking over to her, hoping for the best.


	5. Formalities

“Hey, I’m Aoi Asahina. Sup?”

I extended a hand, offering a caring smile to the girl seated on the floor before me. She blinked, watching me carefully; if I was being honest, she made me nervous—another person with one of those intense auras.

Suddenly, she gripped by hand.

“Ikusaba, Mukuro. First name, Mukuro; last name, Ikusaba. Charmed,” she greeted with a deadpan expression. “Talent, Ultimate Soldier. It’s nice to meet you, Aoi Asahina. Ultimate Swimming Pro, if I’m correct?”

This one was a new one. I hadn’t heard of an Ultimate Soldier attending, or of a Mukuro Ikusaba. It was strange, but I just decided to shrug it off. It probably didn’t matter too much; there could have been some students that weren’t documented, or I just could not have seen it, since, admittedly, my research was pretty last minute.

“Uh, yeah,” I said, smiling sheepishly. “It’s nice to meet you, Mukuro.”

Mukuro sighed. “Same to you.”

I released her hand, and Mukuro quickly turned her head back to the ground. Quizzically, I leaned over to gaze at her face, and in her eyes, it was apparent—a deep gloom. Mukuro was extremely sad, and even though she had worn that same deadpan expression when exchanging formalities, well, the eyes were the windows to the soul, and I was always pretty good at reading people.

“Hey, are you okay?” I asked with concern.

“Huh?” she said, turning her gaze to look at me. “No, I’m fine.”

“Really, ‘cause you look like you have something on your mind,” I stated. “It’s okay, you can tell me. I don’t mind if you have something on your mind that you want to get out.”

“No, these are introductions,” Mukuro stated plainly, “not a time for consolation.” Mukuro smiled plainly, but I could easily distinguish its falsity. “I’m fine, see. Please do not worry about me, Asahina. I promise I’m okay, maybe you should go introduce yourself to the others?”

“Uh, okay,” I said, frowning. “Uh, you don’t have to call me by my last name, you can just call me ‘Hina’ instead.”

“It's just natural for me to call people by their last names if you don’t mind,” she said. “I think I’ll stick to ‘Asahina’ for now.”

“Oh, okay,” I said, offering her a caring smile once more. “If that’s what makes you most comfortable. Anyways, I’ll go introduce myself to everyone else now, okay. See you later.”

“Yeah, later,” Mukuro responded plainly.

Mukuro and I parted ways, and I searched for the next person to introduce myself, even though I was about halfway through introductions, I still felt a little nervous. I was usually good with introductions, but I had never introduced myself to other Ultimates before—not to mention the barrage of different names that came.

However, the next person I saw, was someone I knew and couldn’t forget. I covered my mouth when I saw her, and gasped a bit, causing her to notice me, and walk towards me.

“Oh, hello,” she greeted. “I’m Sayaka Maizono. I look forward to getting to know you.”

Before me, was the Ultimate Pop Sensation, Sayaka Maizono, a name I couldn’t forget no matter how hard I’d try. There wasn’t any way I couldn’t recognize the lead singer in an idol group called ‘Meteor,’ which was famous all across Japan. In fact, it’d be a challenge not to hear any of their songs. They’re everywhere—shopping malls, the radio, convenience stores, supermarkets. But, despite all of that, she seemed normal. She was easily recognizable as Sayaka Maizono, but her attire made her seem like any natural high school girl—natural, long, neat blue hair, held in place by hair clips you’d see regular high school girl, a perfectly-pressed traditional-style seifuku, the light touch of makeup to give her that extra glow. She was absolutely mesmerizing, and if I was being honest with myself, I was a little jealous of how pretty she looked.

Suddenly, Sayaka spoke up. “There’s no need to be jealous, just think of me as your equal.”

“H-Huh?” I stepped back in shock, somewhat terrified that it seemed like she was able to hear my inner thoughts. “Did I say that out loud or something?”

Sayaka shook her head, before looking at me again, a serious expression on her face. “I’m psychic.”

“Huh?!” I exclaimed, my eyes widening. “You’re not just the Ultimate Pop Sensation, but the Ultimate Clairvoyant as well?! Woah! I thought that was supposed to be someone called Yamashiro Hamagure?”

Sayaka smirked, shaking her head again. “No, no, I’m just kidding,” she stated. “I just have really good intuition.” She raised a right index finger to her chin. “Though, if you’re looking for the Ultimate Clairvoyant, he’s over there, all by himself.” Sayaka then used that same finger and pointed to a strange-looking boy, with hair that made it seem like he been unlucky enough to be struck by lightning. “Hey, Hiro, do you have a second?”

Upon hearing his name, the boy turned to look at us, and the first thing I noticed was that he was a lot older than how he first appeared. He smiled and walked over to us.  
“Hey, Sayaka, I’m nearly finished with my introductions,” he said. “I’m just missing one person.”

“Oh, one person, is it Hina here?” Sayaka asked.

Yasuhiro nodded. “Yeah, actually. Sorry, I didn’t want to be rude and butt in while you and Sayaka were getting to know each other,” he stated, smiling subtly. “Anyways, I’m Yasuhiro Hagakure—Hiro for short, take it easy, yeah? I know I will!”

Before me was the Ultimate Clairvoyant, Yasuhiro Hagakure, known as ‘Supernova’ in the psychic community. I believed in fortunes and all, but I don’t really get all that fortune telling stuff, it’s beyond me, and I don’t really think I could do it myself.

“Aoi Asahina,” I told him. “But, my nickname is ‘Hina.’”

Yasuhiro took a thinking position and stared at me for a few seconds before he spoke up. “Ahh… Okay, I give up.”

“Huh?” I said.

“I saw it,” he stated. “I looked right at it. Seriously, I totally saw it.”

“Huh?” I cocked my head to the side. “Saw what?”

“A small, feminine-looking angel sat atop a pile of books, watching as the cats around her circled the pile.” He then smirked. “And that angel, if *your* guardian angel, Hina.” He then laughed. “Nah, I’m just kiddin’.”

I scratched my head in confusion, looking off to Sayaka, who giggled at the whole ordeal.

“Don’t worry, he’s just joking,” the bluenette said. “He told me something about, my angel. Except he it had ropes attached all around its body, but I'm pretty sure it’s a joke.”

“Right…” I said, still very confused.

“Also, Hiro’s twenty-one, by the way, that’s why he looks so old,” Sayaka also stated.

Yasuhiro sighed, placing his hands on his hips and turning his gaze to the idol. “You really gotta say it like that, Sayaka? It makes me seem like a grandpa, you know. But yeah, she’s right, I’m actually twenty-one, I’ve been held back a few times. Don’t worry about it, it’s a long story.”

My eyes widened in shock. Sure, he had the looks, but I didn’t actually suspect he was that old.

Sayaka giggled once again. “Don’t worry about it, Hiro. I’m only joking.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he said. “All the girls here seem to be jokesters…” He then turned to look back at me. “Anyways, Hina. You finished your introductions?”

I shook my head. “No, uh, I’ve still got quite a few to go…” I folded my arms. “Yasuhiro Hagakure… Yasuhiro Hagakure… Yasuhiro Hagakure…”

“What’re you doing?” the clairvoyant questioned, seemingly confused on why I kept mumbling his name over and over.

“Oh, I’m saying it out loud so I remember it,” I responded. “Normally, I could just write it down on the palm of my hand three times and remember, but I don’t have a pen…”

“Ah, okay,” he said. “Anyways, I guess we’re done here. You should probably try to introduce yourself to the others. Take it easy alright.”

“I will,” I responded, smiling. “You too, Hiro.”

“Bye, Hina,” Sayaka said with a wave.

“Later, Sayaka,” I said, waving back.

I turned on my heel and began walking away, searching for the next person currently not involved in a conversation to converse with, but nearly everyone was still doing their introductions. Everyone except one girl. She seemed kind of unfriendly, which made me a bit anxious; I could tell by her posture and even her aura. Despite all of that though, I mustered up any courage I had remaining and made my way over. That was until something unexpected happened.

“You,” I heard an unfamiliar voice call.

I quickly spun on my heels, curious to see if someone was actually referring to me, or to someone else.

A boy in a suit with blonde hair folded his arms.”Don’t just stand there like a cretin,” he said. “I called you.”

I pointed to my chest before walking over to him. He was quite tall and he looked sophisticated, his suit neatly pressed with no wrinkles whatsoever. But he wasn’t alone. Next to him, was a girl with long purple hair, tied in braids. She wore glasses and her uniform skirt was noticeably long as well.

“Oh, hello,” I greeted, putting on a smile. “My name is Aoi Asahina, but you can call me ‘Hina.’ I’m the Ultimate Swimming Pro.”

“Ah, yes, Aoi Asahina,” he started. “Broken records ever since elementary school, natural born swimmer, and up and coming Olympic cadet, am I right?”

“Yeah,” I replied. “That’s me. Who are you though?”

“Name’s Byakuya Togami,” he stated. “Ultimate Affluent Progeny.”

Byakuya Togami, the Ultimate Affluent Progeny and heir to the Togami Conglomerate—his own family’s massive financial conglomerate at that. He had already started managing business operations and his own personal assets were by no doubt vast. Though the threads online spoke of his coldness, and it was pretty clear through his demeanor; he just seemed business oriented.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Byakuya,” I said.

Byakuya grunted and turned to the girl next to him. “Introduce yourself.”

She seemed startled at first, cheeks turning red as she gazed into his eyes, before turning her gaze to the ground below. “N-N-Not that you’ll remember m-my name o-or anything, b-b-but I’m T-Toko Fukawa…”

I didn’t expect the famed Toko Fukawa to have a stuttering issue like that, or, to look anything like the girl before me if I was being completely honest with myself—I had actually pictured someone much more ‘romantic-looking,' if that made sense. The girl in front of me, Toko Fukawa, was the Ultimate Writing Prodigy. She wrote a novel when she was ten-years-old that become popular, and that launched her literary career. Two years ago, she had released a novel entitled ‘So Lingers the Ocean,” a romance novel that was considered a masterpiece, and became Japan’s number one best-seller. Critics everywhere love her and her writing style, and those on forums call her a genius with the pen—or more likely, laptop. The novel alone caused fisherman to reach number one on every “Hottest Men” poll. Despite her age, she’s won countless prizes, and all of her books become best-sellers, not just “So Lingers the Ocean.” Though, despite her saying I wasn’t going to remember her name, I actually found hers the easiest to remember because of how simple it was and how often I’d see it.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you too, Toko,” I said, making sure to look her in the eyes.

This only made Toko blush more. “I-It’s not polite to stare, y-you know…”

“Oh sorry I—”

“Stop staring at me like I’m some filthy creature!” she suddenly snapped, looking as angry as ever.

“Huh? F-Filthy creature, no I just thought—”

“Behave,” said Byakuya.

Toko suddenly went mum, turning to look at Byakuya, she placed her hands on her chest and nodded before turning to look at me again. “S-Sorry,” she apologized.

“I-It’s okay…” I told her, my tone slightly hushed.

“We’re done with introductions,” Byakuya said. “How much longer are you going to stand there? Weren’t you going to introduce yourself to Kyoko?”

“Kyoko?”

Byakuya pointed to the lilac-haired girl who I was originally going to talk to. “Her.”

“I don’t remember a Kyoko,” I said, pondering a bit.

“Neither do I,” Byakuya said. “She’s probably like Mukuro in the regard of there’s no information about her. Anyways, go away. I’m sick of at looking at you.”

_Wow. Harsh much, Byakuya?_

“Hey! That’s not very nice!” I told him angrily. “Are you making fun of me or something?!”

“D-Don’t talk to Byakuya l-like that, y-you i-idiot swimmer!” Toko suddenly spoke up.

“H-Huh, but he—”

“Hush, both of you,” the Ultimate Affluent Progeny commanded. “Hina, don’t make the stereotype of athletes being all brawn and no brain true. Now, go away.”

I huffed. “W-Well, you’re a butt.”

Without another word, I stormed off. My mind was in a haze after that. He really was a jerk, but I tried not to let that get to me. I tried to push the fact that I had even met him out of my mind and continued my trek over to the girl who was apparently named ‘Kyoko’ who I had never heard of. Not only did she seem frosty and unapproachable, but she was a complete enigma. Regardless, I made my way over to her and forced a smile.

“Aoi Asahina,” I said, extending my hand for a handshake. “But you can call me ‘Hina.’ Ultimate Swimming Pro. Are you, um, Kyoko?”

The girl stayed silent for a little while. Well, more than a little while, for a long while actually—she must’ve stayed silent for a whole twenty seconds or so.

She nodded. “Kyoko Kirigiri.” She gripped my hand firmly and shook it.

“So, uh, Kyoko,” I started, releasing her hand. “What’s your Ultimate talent?”

She blinked, as cool as ever. “Why should I tell you?”

“Huh?” I folded my arms, trying to concoct a believable reason in my mind. “Well, we’re introducing each other, aren’t we? I told you mine, and I even let you call me by my nickname, so why don’t you tell me yours as well.”

“That doesn’t amount to anything,” she stated nonchalantly.

I wanted to keep trying, but something told me that I wouldn’t get any answers. Kyoko’s lips were shut-tight. Period. Instead, all I could do was ask how she was doing, trying to make small talk.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

Kyoko gave me a curious look. “I am, why?”

“Oh, I just wanted to see if you were mad at me, or something,” I replied.

Kyoko shook her head. “No. I’m not angry at you.”

“If you’re sure…” I said.

“Anyways, we’re done here. Goodbye.”

“Yeah, bye…”

Kyoko turned on her heels and left, leaving me more confused than I had been before. Honestly, these introductions just put me deeper and deeper into a state of dubiety. These Ultimate students were as you’d expect—unique and special in their own ways. I just wished some weren’t so frustrating.

“Wow, Miss Kirigiri is really a complete kuudere,” a voice behind me said.

It startled me, causing me to jump a little. I spun on my heel, and there, was a chubby boy with black hair and thick-rimmed glasses.

“O-Oh, hello there,” I greeted. “I don’t believe we’ve met, I’m Aoi Asahina, the Ultimate Swimming Pro. Sup?”

“It’s nice to meet you, Miss Asahina,” he said. “I… am Hifumi Yamada, but if you want to call me by my nickname, 'The Alpha and the Omega,' I don’t mind.”

The nickname, ‘The Alpha and the Omega’ was familiar; it had belonged to the Ultimate Fanfic Creator. There really wasn’t much about him online, other than how eccentric he seemed in both looks and personality, but he once sold ten-thousand copies of one of his comics at one of his middle school’s school festivals, which ended up becoming popular on the internet. Some into that more niche stuff call him a legend, while others simply think he’s strange, but that feat is undeniable.

“Well, if you’re ‘The Alpha and the Omega’, you’re the Ultimate Fanfic Creator, right?”

“That’s right,” he answered. “Say, how much do you know about the world of 2D art?”

“Do you mean like anime? There was this one anime I liked that I saw all the episodes for. It was a sports anime called, uh, Kuko…” I paused, trying to remember the name of the anime. “Uh, what was it called again?”

“Ah, so the Ultimate Swimming Pro likes sports anime, I see. Very interesting, Miss Asahina. Maybe you should venture into more… niche kinds of anime.”

“Uh… Do you mean Gundam anime? I’ve seen one of those that I liked with my brother, uh, I don’t remember what it was called, but there was something about piercing the heavens…”

“Ah, I see, you have good taste, Miss Asahina,” he said happily. “Maybe you’d like to read some of my works sometime? My work has deep meaning that someone like you would be able to comprehend immediately.”

“Uh, I’m not really an otaku or whatever, I’ve only seen a few anime. But sure, what are they about?”

“It’s about embracing our basest urges,” he said confidently.

I knew what he meant by ‘embracing our basest urges,’ and suddenly, I didn’t want to read anymore, or try to comprehend it.

“O-Oh, I see…” I started. “Well, uh, another time, maybe? I need to go finish introducing myself to everyone. So, uh, yeah, later, Hifumi.”

“Mhm, I’ll see you later Miss Asahina.”

I turned around and began walking again, eyeing the students I had already met, and watching them engage in conversation. Most had already introduced themselves to each other by now, and I was nearly done myself. If my mathematics was correct, I had met fourteen students, which meant, I just had one more person to go.

Suddenly, I bumped into the side of someone.

“Ow, the hell?” said a masculine voice.

“Oh, sorry, I’ve been doing that a lot lately, are you okay?” I asked.

Luckily, I didn’t make him fall over like the last two times, instead, it was just a small bump.

He turned to look at me, and I instantly recognized him from his corn on the cob-like hairstyle.

“Hey, uh, Ultimate… Biker Gang Leader, right?” I asked.

“Huh? Oh, yeah,” he responded. “Name’s Mondo Owada, nice to fuckin’ meet ya.”

Mondo Owada, the biggest biker gang leader in all Japan. Being so close to him like that was a little frightening. Despite his outlandish hairstyle, he was no short of intimidating. He had an impressive, bulky figure, wore a black overcoat that you’d see on the biker gang members in movies, and he even wore the eyeliner to really sell the look.

“O-Oh, nice to meet you too, Mondo.”

“…Hell yeah.”

“Oh, um, I’m Aoi Asahina, Ultimate Swimming Pro.”

“…Cool.”

It was apparent to me that Mondo clearly wasn't good at introducing himself, despite being the de facto leader of every biker gang in Japan, which I found strange, but decided against the question. Just for my own safety.

 

Suddenly, Mondo spoke up again. “Hey, uh, next time watch where you’re fuckin’ going…”

 

“Gotcha, I will; don’t you worry,” I responded. “Anyways, I’ll see you later, alright?”

 

“Yeah…”

 

We parted ways, and I leaned on one of the walls, thinking. Thinking of all the strange characters I would be attending Hope’s Peak Academy with. These people were my class for the year. Every single one of them was special and interesting, distinctive in their own way. I should’ve been happy I would be getting to know each one of them individually from here on out. But I wasn’t. Something in my gut wasn’t sitting right with me. The covered windows, the security cameras, the note—none of it was right. I didn’t want to admit it, but I knew. I knew beneath the surface, a malicious evil lingered, waiting. Waiting for me; waiting for us. I wasn’t the brooding type, but still, I could tell. I just had that feeling. But the question remained: what was it?


	6. Disquietude

About two minutes passed before Kiyotaka asked the question.

“Have we all introduced ourselves?!”

Strangely enough, in unison, we all nodded.

“Then it’s time to get down to business,” said Byakuya. “This is no time to sit around making friends like a bunch of dull-eyed baboons.”

“Oh, that’s true,” Makoto said.

_Hey, come on, man! Don’t just agree with him!_

“As much as I wouldn’t like to be referred to as a primate, I must agree,” Celeste said. “We do have a bigger problem at hand.”

“Bigger problem…?” I asked.

“Of course, it’s not that you’re locked away in a school with blocked windows every day, Hina,” Celeste replied. “You mentioned ‘weird stuff happening’ and ‘falling asleep’.”

“Yeah,” I said.

Celestia continued, “That’s true for the rest of us.”

The gothic lolita’s words sent a chill down my spine. Celeste didn’t speak in a threatening way, it was simply the deadly, nightmarish reality that I was faced with. A reality of unease and suspicion. If I wasn’t anxious before, I surely was now. I became petrified, and I swore I could feel my pupils shrinking.

“...What,” I said in a faint voice.

“Did you really not expect it?” Byakuya chimed in. “If that hadn’t been the case one of us would have surely come and found you, by coincidence or not. What’s also to note is the absence of staff on orientation day. You would expect one or two teachers around at the bare minimum.”

“Yes, quite curious indeed,” Celeste added.

“Anyways, Hina,” Leon finally spoke up. “Just after the main hall each of us lost consciousness and when we came to we were somewhere in the school. That’s what happened to you and Makoto, right?”

“That’s right,” Makoto affirmed, his skin slightly pale from fear, and I gave a corroboratory nod.

“But that’s just... too damn weird, right?” Leon continued. “It doesn’t make sense that each one of us would get knocked out like that.”

“Exactly! That’s why we’re all freakin’ out!” Mondo exclaimed.

“Woah, calm yourself there, big guy,” Junko said, smiling at Mondo like he was her best friend. “You’ve already got a busted brain, no need to give Leon a busted nose too.”

Mondo went quiet, his mouth contorting into a malevolent smile. “...The fuck did you say to me?” He menacingly cracked his knuckles, but strangely enough, Junko was calm as ever. Even I was a bit fearful and his malice wasn’t even directed towards me. So for Junko to retain a state of equanimity, well, it was eerie in its own way.

The fashionista sneered. “Can’t hit a girl!”

Mondo paused, folding his arms and looking off to the right. “...Shit,” he muttered.

Leon, Hiro, Celeste, and Hifumi all chuckled while Junko just outright guffawed.

“Don’t laugh!” Kiyotaka yelled.

“Sorry, man…” Leon said in between snickers. “Even you gotta admit that it was kinda funny…”

“The ones that bark the loudest always never bite!” Junko singsonged.

Mondo remained silent, clutching his fists, his quietude only making Junko’s taunting smirk go wider.

“Hey guys, can we get back on topic here? We are in sort of a serious situation,” I said, slightly concerned for the sudden change in tone of the situation.

“Ah, apologies, Hina,” Celeste said. “Well, I suppose we could continue talking about the windows.”

“Ah, the windows were blocked, right?” Makoto spoke up.

Kiyotaka continued, “Yeah, instead of normal glass windows, it was a bunch of big metal plates! What’s that about?!”

“It feels like it’s something right out of an anime,” Hifumi said. “No matter how much you think about it… it doesn’t make sense.”

“Plus, like, my cell phone is totally gone!” Junko said in a valley girl voice. She then sighed in a way that was completely out of character to the Junko I had come to know, even if that time was short, beginning to fiddle with her right pigtail with her hands. “It really sucks. I’ll be bored to tears without my damn phone. What gives?”

“Yeah you’re right,” Chihiro spoke up. “Um… about the missing stuff part. I can’t find my PDA anywhere…”

“And then there’s the main exit hall here,” Kiyotaka commented, turning to face the metal hatch that blocked the exit and pointing to it. “But there wasn’t anything like that when I first got here…!” He paused, taking a deep sigh before he spoke again, completely forgetting his inside voice. “What the heck?! What’s it doing there?!”

I shrugged. “I have no idea, Kiyotaka…” I paused. “But, even if it’s just my gut telling me so, this isn’t right… Are we sure there wasn’t any mention of anything going on at Hope’s Peak? ‘Cause, that’s the only thing that makes sense to me. Like, if there was a crime going on… or something.”

“A crime…” Leon repeated. “Like… a kidnapping…”

Leon’s words made me cringe with disquiet. I repeated his words over and over in my head. Like a kidnapping. Like a kidnapping. He was right. It was the only thing that made sense. Someone had to have kidnapped us. I bit my lip, neurotic, and I wasn’t the only one. In everyone’s eyes, I could see the same exact fear that I had, even if they didn’t show it on the surface, I could tell. Everyone was worried. Everyone wanted out. Well, everyone but one person was worried.

“Come on, don’t think like that, cheer up!” Hiro said. “I bet this is all part of the school’s orientation procedure.” He smiled confidently. “I’m sure that’s it! So I’m just gonna take it easy for a little bit.”

At his words, a certain shy, brown-haired girl let out a sigh of relief. “Oh… so you think they just wanted to do something to surprise us?”

“Huh, well if that’s it, it’s nap time for me,” Leon commented, clearly disgruntled. However, it didn’t last long, and his annoyed expression was replaced with a sheepish smile. “I was up way too long last night, so I could use a little shuteye.”

“Way too long huh?” Junko asked, smirking. “What was the porn about?”

“You’re really annoying ya know,” Leon replied. 

“I agree,” Byakuya commented. “Quite. If you could stop your abhorrent behavior that’d be the best for everyone here.”

“Y-Yeah,” Toko chimed in. “B-Bimbo s-sluts w-who don’t k-know when to s-shut their mouths l-like you are way too a-annoying…!”

“Really? Bimbo slut?” Junko sighed and folded her arms. “I’m just teasing, you know, guys? It’s kind of my schtick. I just like to poke fun at people. Don’t take it too personally alright, homie? We’re all attending this school so we should all learn to get along, alright?!” 

“Well, it’s certainly not very nice…” I mentioned in a soft voice that clearly exhibited my confusion towards this whole thing about it being Junko’s ‘schtick’. 

In my opinion, she just didn’t seem very kind.

“Nah, Hina, it’s no biggie, really,” the fashionista said. “Let’s not make mountains out of molehills, alright? Let’s just focus on this orientation thing.”

“Yeah, let’s just put it aside for now,” Hiro said. “She’s right. Let’s focus on orientation.”

Despite Junko’s behavior, I could feel everyone’s tension evaporating with each mention of the word 'orientation'. But was it all really so simple? I understood that we were the newest group of Ultimates, but even then this was quite the length to go. That and my gut kept telling me that this still wasn’t right. And my gut was never wrong.

But then, it happened.

A bell sounded—presumably the school bell, but strangely enough, it sounded like it came from the monitor in the room rather than an actual bell. Sixteen pairs of eyes watched as the monitor turned on, a pure black image forming on the screen, fuzzy at first, but as time passed it became clearer and clearer and as that happened I felt like things had gotten worse and worse.

“Ahem! Ahem! Testing, testing! Mic check, one two! This is a test of the school’s broadcasting system!”

That voice wasn’t right. It was definitely off—as off as off could be in fact. The ear-splitting high pitch, the malicious tone—none of it was right. I froze in fear, but my eyes remained glued to the screen. I found myself wondering. Wondering what would come next. Wondering what fate had been written when we had entered this school. Even if it was by instinct alone. Even if I didn’t have any proof. I just felt like things had gotten a lot worse for all of us.

“Am I on? Can everyone hear me? Okay, well then…!” The voice paused briefly before beginning to speak again. “Ah, to all incoming students! I would like to begin the entrance ceremony at… right now! Please make your way to the gymnasium at your earliest convenience. That’s all. I’ll be waiting!”

Junko was the first to speak, and for once the fashionista looked disturbed. “What. The. Hell was that just now?!”

Byakuya turned around and began walking away, leaving for the gymnasium. “Well, if you’d excuse me.”

“Hey, Byakuya?! What about all that friendship hogwash I just spouted?! You’re really just gonna up and leave?!”

Junko was too late. Byakuya was already gone.

Yasuhiro then spoke up. “Oh, yeah, now I get it! This whole thing was just to get us all pumped for the entrance ceremony!” He laughed out loud, lacking any care in the world. Clearly the same fear I held he didn’t share—and it was absolutely chilling. “Man, thank God it was all a joke! I’d totally have freaked if that was real! Alright, I guess I’ll head out too. I wonder what they have planned for us next…”

And with those words, Hiro left, maintaining that chilling state of jocundity as he did. I was worried of course, but I wasn’t the only one.

“Hey! Hiro! Wait up! It could be a trap! Don’t go too!” Junko ran after him, nearly tripping as she did.

“Damn, I was totally looking forward to that nap too,” Leon said. “Why’d they have to go and kill the mood?”

And like Hiro, Byakuya, and Junko, Leon exited.

“W-Wait, I wanna go with you!” Chihiro yelled before following him.

Celestia took walked towards the exit, stopping at the doorway before turning around and smiling sweetly at the rest of us. “Well, that it is then. I will see you all there.”

“N-Not that anyone cares, b-but I’m gonna go too…” Toko said declared nearly inaudibly before scurrying towards the exit.

Even though they all left, I and many other remained frozen. Even though I knew this wasn’t right, it hadn’t completely set in. I hadn’t known exactly what was off, and maybe that was it, but all of this was just one thing after another. Predicament followed by predicament followed by predicament. Frankly, I was tired. I was currently experiencing a bunch of negative emotions, but most of all, I was tired of this. 

I just wanted to go home

Tears came to my eyes and ran down my cheeks slowly, and I took a deep breath in and out again.

Makoto must’ve noticed my tears. He walked over to me, a look of concern on his face. “Hina?”

Suddenly everyone looked over at me.

“Hina, are you crying?” Sayaka asked concerned. “No, no, don’t cry!” She offered a caring smile. “It’ll all be okay, alright?”

Even though her words were kind, I could hear the vacillation in her voice. Sayaka probably didn’t even believe her own words.

“I-I apologize Miss Maizono,” Hifumi started, tears welling up in his eyes as well, “but I believe Miss Asahina’s emotions… a-are justified…”

Sayaka walked over to him and patted his back. “It’ll be okay, big guy…”

Suddenly, Sakura spoke up. “I understand that the both of you may be frightened—we all are. But, even if we’re faced with fear, our only option in this situation is to press on. If necessary, I vow to protect you both. You don’t need to worry.”

As scary as Sakura was, her words were completely unlike her. Even though they held her trademark rasp, they were soft, genuine; they made me feel warm and secure. I had felt like I had completely misjudged her and it had only made me feel ashamed. It was capricious, but in that emotional state, it was hard to think. I didn’t think twice, instead, I just nodded, tears continuing to fall from my eyes.

_Thank you, Sakura._

“She’s completely right,” Kyoko commented. “Waiting around doesn’t mean we’re safe. Besides, aren’t you all even slightly curious to figure out what’s going on here?”

I couldn’t answer Kyoko’s question because I genuinely didn’t know. Did I really want to find out what was going on? She and Sakura were completely right—safety wasn’t ensured by inaction. So, whether I wanted to find out or not we only had one option. We had to press on.

“Shit!” Mondo yelled. “You’re right, I want to figure out what the hell’s going on here…! I wanna know which bastard put us in this place!”

“No use in yelling about it now, Owada,” Mukuro said, seemingly unperturbed by her tone of voice, but in her eyes, she held the same unease as everyone else did. “We may as well get moving. Let’s go as a group.”

We all nodded and we began moving, passing through the exit one by one before we all decided to traverse the hallways as a unit. I made sure to stay close to Makoto and Sakura. The two of them made me feel safe, even if some of it was all in my mind. Sakura’s vow to protect me and the fact that Makoto and I had already moved through these very same eerie hallways before and that he would bring me ‘good luck’. Those two things had kept me sane, kept me from freaking out more than I would have if I was alone. It wasn’t just those two though, I had Mukuro, Mondo, Kyoko, Kiyotaka, Hifumi, and Sayaka with me as well. I had just hoped that the nine of us would be safe and that for once my gut was wrong and I just had a stomach ache. But most of all, I had just hoped Kyoko and Mukuro knew what they were doing.


	7. Press On

We passed through the exit, and after we had, my heart-pounding, beating up to my throat. Though my tears had dried, the feeling of disquiet never faltered, no matter how many people I had with me or whatever strengths of talents they may have had. Having the Ultimate Soldier and Ultimate Martial Artist had made me feel a little safer, but however, I felt like something could get me—that something *was* coming to get me.

We walked in silence, our eyes all scanning the eerie halls. I—and likely everyone else for that matter—was extremely frightened, but we all knew we had to do our best. We all had to press on.

_I gotta do this. I gotta do this!_

Moving through the halls, something strange caught my attention. It looked like a nurse’s office—it even said so in the sign above. What was strange, however, was the coloring and the door. The entire nurse’s office was a shade of pink that was painful to the eyes, and the door was covered in police tape like some sort of crime had occurred there.

_What the heck?_

I nudged Makoto and he turned to look at my direction.

“What is it, Hina?” he asked.

I pointed to the nurse’s office. “There.”

Everyone turned their attention to the peculiar nurse’s office, trying to make sense of the situation.

“The pink is really hard on the eyes…” Sayaka commented.

“You really thinkin’ of the pink right now?” Mondo questioned. “Look at the damn office itself. Why the hell is it covered in police tape for?!”

Sayaka shrugged.

“Well…” Kiyotaka started. “There’s only one way to find out…”

Kiyotaka walked over to the nurse’s office and just as he was about to touch the police tape Kyoko spoke.

“Don’t touch it,” the mysterious lavender-haired girl commanded.

“H-Huh?” Kiyotaka placed his arms back at his sides. “Why not?”

“Don’t you think it could be some kind of trap?” Kyoko asked, folding her arms. “The state of the nurse’s office isn’t important right now. You of all people should know not to touch police tape."

“Right…” Kiyotaka walked back over to us.

“What about the nurse’s office?” I asked. “Are we really sure it’s not important?”

“Yes,” said Kyoko. “Don’t worry about that, Hina.”

“Kyoko’s right,” Mukuro said. “Currently we only have one objective; that is, to go to the gymnasium. We shouldn’t waste time.”

“Don’t just drag us along on you guys’ little escapade,” Mondo snapped. “We’re just followin’ what you guys are saying when stuff like this doesn’t make sense! Why isn’t the nurse’s office important?!”

Kyoko sighed. “Didn’t you hear me at all? I said it wasn’t important right now.”

“What the fuck?! Like I said, how do *you* know?! Up until now, you’ve been silent and now you’re tellin’ us what to do? We don’t even know your Ultimate talent!”

Kyoko kept silent as if taunting Mondo. He grew increasingly more irritated, but no matter how much he did, she didn’t speak.

“Come on, guys,” Makoto started. “We’ve got bigger fish to fry right now.”

“Yeah,” I said in agreement. “Something more important is going on right now!”

“Indeed,” said Sakura. “Kyoko’s right. Let’s not focus on the nurse’s office right now. That sinister voice wants to us to go to the gymnasium and we’re in dire need of answers. Your cooperation would come in handy, Mondo.”

Mondo closed his eyes and brought his fist to his chest. “Tch… Fine.”

“And we press on,” Mukuro said. “Let’s continue moving.”

We continued traversing the hallways, ignoring the nurse’s office for now, though, every now and then my mind moved back to the eccentricity of the situation. But, Kyoko was right, the gymnasium was our main priority, and we had to get there.

After a few more minutes of walking, we noticed something else peculiar.

“Bars?” I said aloud.

“Bars indeed…” Hifumi commented.

“They appear to be blocking off that part of the school.” Kiyotaka attempted to peer through. “If I look through carefully… I can see a flight of stairs and another blocked window.”

“Something else we’ll get back to,” Kyoko said before turning and pointing to the gymnasium, which was marked with a sign much like the nurse’s office. “We’re here.”

_We’re finally here…_

I took a deep breath in and looked at the pair of brown doors. Whatever was behind those doors had made me apprehensive. I read somewhere that there was no worse fear than the fear of the unknown, and I could certainly feel the truth of that. Standing in front of the gymnasium had made me more afraid than I ever was in my entire life—and I thought the suspense of the moment right before you dived into the pool at a swimming competition was bad.

Sakura must’ve noticed my unease as she started to speak.

“Hina,” she started. “Do you remember my promise?”

“Y-Your promise to protect me?”

She nodded. “Yes. Do not be afraid now.”

“Yes,” Mukuro chimed in. “We’re right there. Nothing good comes with inaction. We need to press on.”

“I agree,” Hifumi said before changing his voice so it became more heroic-sounding. “Don’t worry, Hina. The Alpha and the Omega and his party are unstoppable!”

“Weren’t you just cryin’ a couple minutes ago?” Mondo said.

“Don’t worry about that right now, Mondo,” Sayaka said. “He’s become very brave.”

“Being complimented by a famous idol, hmm…” Hifumi muttered to himself. “I see… I must have gained the blessing of Cassia today.”

“Wouldn’t that be a bad thing?” Sayaka asked, cocking her head to the side slightly.

“Heeee?!” Hifumi exclaimed. “And she knows what I’m talking about as well?!”

Kyoko cleared her throat. “Let’s not get distracted.”

“Right. My dearest apologies, Miss Kirigiri,” Hifumi apologized. “Let’s keep moving.”

I watched as Sakura walked over to the door and pushed it open for all of us, doing it carefully at first and looking inside before she let the door open fully.

“Let us proceed,” the martial artist said.

I entered first and everyone else followed, but surprisingly, we were not in the gymnasium, but another room instead. The room was filled with a various assortment of items including all kinds of trophies and plaques in a display case as well as a katana, which was put on display next to a white and grey samurai helmet. All the students who go here are Ultimates though, so this was probably just a fraction of a fraction of their total awards. There was also another set of brown doors that I assumed went into the actual gymnasium.

“This place looks like something more like a trophy room,” Makoto said.

“Yeah, look at all the trophies,” said Sayaka as she walked over to the golden katana and touched it, reading imprint. “This one seems to be won by the Ultimate Swordswoman, as it says here…”

Mukuro turned to look at us. “The awards are impressive, but, we don’t have time to be gazing at them right now either.”

“God, I had no idea this Hope’s Peak Academy place was gonna be such a pain in my balls,” Mondo said. “It ain’t really that much different from the time I spent in juvie. Hell, it’s even worse!”

“And there’s something else I’ve noticed,” Makoto started. “Why wasn’t anyone in the hallway?”

“Well, if it’s our orientation th-they’re just trying to spook us…” Kiyotaka said somewhat unconfidently. “They’ll take those metal plates down… I’m sure of it…”

“Well, we still only have one option,” Sakura said. “We need to press on. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”

“Well hell, it ain’t like I’m scared of nothin’!” Mondo proclaimed. “Let’s just get this over with!”

With that, Mondo pushed open the doors and ran into the gymnasium.

“Wait, Mondo! No running!” Kiyotaka yelled, following Mondo, and despite his warning, running as well.

“Now, let’s go,” Mukuro said. “We shouldn’t get left behind.”

Mukuro left, with Kyoko, Hifumi, and Makoto following.

“Kyoko and Mukuro sure are similar,” Sayaka joked. “They even talk the same.”

“I guess,” I replied, taking a step closer to the door before stopping.

“Still scared?” the idol asked.

I nodded. “Yeah, a little bit… Aren’t you?”

“Yeah,” Sayaka replied. “But, as an idol, you learn to wear faces. I’d much rather not show it, or else it’d make everyone else worried…” Sayaka’s expression wavered and for once, she frowned. “What about you, Sakura?”

“I have very little to fear,” the martial artist said. “But, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t slightly frightened. But, in numbers, we are strong. You two shouldn’t worry.”

Sayaka nodded. “Well, if you’re being brave, I’ll be brave as well.” Her natural smile returned to her face. “You hear that, Hina? We have nothing to fear, alright? You can hold my mind if you’d like, though, I’m sure you’d much rather hold Makoto’s…”

I blushed, my eyes widening at Sayaka’s statement. “Huh?! What are you talking about?!”

“Come on, I know the way you look at him,” Sayaka said, moving behind me and putting her hands on my shoulders and leaning over, looking at my flustered expression from my right side. “He’s a good guy, you know? He and I went to middle school together.”

“I seriously have no idea what you’re talking about!” I yelled. “Really!”

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Sakura snickered. 

“Not you too, Sakura!” I looked over to Sayaka’s our blue eyes meeting, and on her face, was the expression of a schoolgirl who was enjoying this far too much. “Come on, guys, we gotta get moving, okay? It’s important. Let’s keep going!”

I started to walk away, talking long, confident steps in a manner that was almost cartoonish towards the door.

“Feeling better?” Sayaka asked out of the blue.

I halted, turning to look back at her, only to see that joyous expression was still plastered on her face.

And then, it hit me.

_So that’s what she was doing…_

“Oh…” I said, before smiling. “Yeah, thanks…”

“Quite impressive, Sayaka,” Sakura commented. 

“Thanks,” the idol said. “Now, let’s keep going. Let’s not keep everyone else waiting.”

I felt surprisingly less uneasy now thanks to Sayaka’s methods. Even though she practically confirmed her accusations were jokes, I still felt more confident even if our numbers dwindled. Sayaka and Sakura by my side were more than enough. I mentally prepared myself. Mentally prepared myself for whatever enemy or tragedy waiting behind those brown doors, as I took my first step into the gymnasium.


	8. Orientation

I entered the gym and saw what was waiting for us there. Nothing. It was absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. Instead, it was simply a hall filled with comfortable-looking red folding chairs and sixteen Ultimates. Everyone wore the same expression of relief on their face.

“And here are the final three,” Celestia said.

Sayaka walked around, taking in the new sense of atmosphere. “...It really does seem like a normal entrance ceremony.”

“See? I told ya! It’s totally normal entrance ceremony stuff,” said Yasuhiro proudly.

“Perhaps,” Sakura chimed in, folding her arms, “but there are still some questions without answers.”

Sakura was right. There *were* questions without answers. The peculiar nurse’s office was still unexplained, mostly due to Kyoko telling us that it wasn’t important right now and that we should go back later. Then, there was the blocked and bolted windows, the strange note, the hatch on the entrance. Too many questions; too little answers. I desperately wanted Hiro to be right. I desperately wanted this to be explained simply as ‘totally normal entrance ceremony stuff,’ but I had my doubts.

“Hey there, howdy, hello! Is everyone here? Good! Then let’s get things rolling!”

That voice was the voice that had led us here. The mysterious, unexplained silhouette. It frightened me, made my knees weak, and like how everyone else’s fear evaporated before, my confidence evaporated, slipping away with every pronunciation of a syllable that the voice uttered.

I mustered whatever little confidence I had inside me from the depths of my stomach and took a step forward. Sayaka quickly hurried back next to me, the voice having a similar effect on her, noticeable from how pale she was. Suddenly, from beneath the desk sat atop the stage, out jumped a bear, its left side a pure white and right side a black more fitting of the sinister, high-pitched voice, and on that side, it bore a pernicious red eye that I would never forget. It landed gracefully on top of the desk, and I took a step back instinctively, trying to put more distance between myself and the menace.

“Huh? A... teddy bear?” Chihiro asked, more confused than afraid.

“I’m not a teddy bear,” the bear told him, sounding slightly annoyed to the fact that it was just referred to as a ‘teddy bear’. “I… am… Monokuma!” the bear said proudly. “And *I* am this school’s headmaster!”

It was both the strangest and scariest thing I had ever seen. Before me was some sort of animatronic bear claiming that he was the school’s headmaster. It was utterly incomprehensible. I started to feel nauseous; this was too much excitement for one day. If this really was all part of the orientation process I certainly had a bone to pick with the real headmaster later.

“Nice to meet you all!” Monokuma greeted cheerfully.

“Waaaaah?!” Hifumi exclaimed. “That teddy bear can talk?!”

“Calm down,” Kiyotaka said, for once actually remembering the meaning of an inside voice. “I’m sure there’s just a speaker inside it…” 

Despite his words, Kiyotaka himself actually looked extremely unsure, like he was just saying things for saying things sake, but it was unclear who he was trying to convince. Hifumi? Perhaps himself? Only he knew.

“I already told you. I am *not* a teddy bear,” Monokuma repeated. “I’m Monokuma, and I’m your headmaster!”

“Waaaaah?! It moved!” Hifumi shouted, this time his voice louder than before.

“Seriously, man, calm down! It’s probably just some remote control toy or somethin’,” Mondo assured.

Mondo had to be right. It was just a remote control toy, right? That had to be it. That was the logical answer. I was a feeling person, but logic needed to take precedence sometimes! It was a remote control toy. A remote control toy, I say! I was a madwoman, and my head was my own cranial asylum. I repeated Mondo’s words in my head over and over.

_Remote control toy. Remote control toy. Remote control toy._

Tears returned to my face, but I didn’t sob. They only ran down and traversed my cheeks hurriedly as if they themselves were eager to escape from the pandemonium of the regular-looking school hall. Suddenly, I found my arms wrapped around Sayaka’s left arm, but she didn’t look at me—she didn’t even flinch. Instead, she stared incredulously at the scene, her face as pale as a ghost.

“How dare you compare me to a child’s plaything!” Monokuma said, not angry, but dejected. “You cut me deep. Deeper than the Mariana Trench...” He then stood up confidently and placed both paws on his stomach. “My remote control system is so complex even the folks at NASA can’t recreate it or even comprehend it! Ah, but don’t make me say stuff that might destroy NASA’s dreams! I just couldn’t bear that!”

“Is it *seriously* making bear puns right now?” Junko said sarcastically. “Woe is me, I just might die from the humor, I can’t take it.” Junko placed her right hand on her forehead and pretended to stumble, but she seemed more exasperated than frightened about the whole ordeal.

“It really is unfortunate, isn’t it?” Celeste commented.

“Now then, moving on! We really must hurry and get started!” Monokuma declared.

“Really? Giving up? No more bad bear puns?” the fashionista asked.

“It appears that luck really may be on our side then,” Celestia said.

“Now, now. Quiet down, quiet down!” Monokuma commanded. “Okay, so… Everyone stand at attention and bow! And… good morning!”

Kiyotaka did as told and bowed politely. “Good morning!” he yelled back.

“Y-You don’t have to s-say it back…” Toko remarked.

“Now then, let us commence with a most noteworthy and memorable entrance ceremony!” Monokuma exclaimed excitedly. He paused before speaking again, turning to look at each one of our frightened or flummoxed faces. “First, let’s talk a bit about what your school life here will be like. Now make no mistake—you few students, so full of potential, represent the hope of the world. And to protect such splendid hope… you all will live a communal life together solely within the confines of the school. Everyone will live in harmony together, and adhere to the rules and regulations of the school.”

“The hell are you talking about?” Mukuro asked, her eyes narrow.

Monokuma turned to look at Mukuro. “You’ll find out soon enough, Ackerman." He then turned back to face the rest of us. “Anyways, where was I? Ah, yes. Regarding the end date for the communal life… There isn’t one! In other words, you all will be here until the day you die! Such is the school life you’ve been assigned.”

Monokuma’s words resonated deep within me. I had kept mum until now, but at that moment I legitimately wanted to cry. I wanted to let all of my tears out. I wanted to scream and kick at the floor. I wanted to beg and plead for freedom. But I couldn’t. I found it physically impossible to do so for some reason. All I could do was watch in horror. Watch that black and white bear’s disgusting grin after it just declared that we were essentially its captives. I clung to Sayaka more, but once again. No response. No ‘Hina, that hurts.' No ‘Hina, are you okay?’. Instead, the only thing Sayaka rewarded me with was a deafening silence. She, too, couldn’t speak. Her face was pale with an expression of terror plastered on that I never would’ve expected from the usually-cheerful Sayaka.

“Wh-What did he just s-say?!” Toko queried in complete and utter disbelief. “U-Until the d-d-day we d-d-die?!” 

Toko fell backward, nearly fainting, but before she hit the ground, she was luckily caught by her underarms by Leon Kuwata, the Ultimate Baseball Star.

“Woah, take it easy now!” Leon urged. It took a second, but the redhead scrunched up his face one he caught a whiff of Toko’s unique miasma, though, that didn’t stop him from continuing to hold that barely conscious Toko. “Someone get her some water or something!”

“Fear not,” Monokuma started. “We have quite the abundant budget, so you won’t lack for all the common conveniences.”

“That’s the least of our worries right now!” Sayaka finally yelled, but she still didn’t acknowledge my clinging.

“Yeah, what the absolute motherfuck?!” Junko raged. “You’re saying we have to live here forever! You’re fucking with us, right?”

“I am not!” Monokuma howled. “I am no liar! I am one-hundred percent honest! And with your language, young lady!” Monokuma calmed down before speaking again. “Oh, and just for your information, you’re completely cut off from the outside world. So, you don’t have to worry about that dirty, dirty land behind the walls ever again!”

“Cut off…?” Makoto asked, his voice slightly hushed. “So, those metal plates all over the school… They’re to keep us trapped here?!”

Monokuma nodded. “That’s exactly what they’re for! No matter how much you scream and yell for help, help will not come… So, with all of that in mind, feel free to live out your life here with reckless abandon!”

“Come on, what is this at this point…?” Leon said. “This is just a really bad joke…”

“Yeah,” Mondo agreed. “Cut this shit out! It isn’t funny anymore!”

Monokuma huffed. “You keep saying this is a lie or a joke. Skeptics, all of you! But… I guess you can’t help it. You all were raised in an age where you were taught to doubt your neighbor…” Monokuma sniggered. “Well, you’ll have plenty of time to figure out whether what I say is true or not. And, when that time comes, you’ll see with your own eyeballs I speak nothing but the undeniable truth.”

“Having to live here forever would be quite the problem…” said Celestia.

“Come on now, what’s the matter with all of you?” Monokuma questioned with an inquisitive look as if he wasn’t actually asking a rhetorical question. “You decided on your own free will to attend Hope’s Peak Academy, didn’t you? And before the entrance ceremony has even finished you’ve all decided you want to leave? Oh, but I guess I did forget to mention… there is *one* way to leave this school…”

“R-Really…?” Chihiro asked in disbelief.

“Mhm,” Monokuma said proudly. “As headmaster, I’ve crafted one special clause for those of you who would like to leave… I call it… the Graduation Clause!”

“Well, spit it out then!” Junko commanded. “What’s this Graduation Clause?!”

“Geez, you’re annoying,” Monokuma said. “Just have some patience, will you. Now, let me tell you about this fun little rule. As I mentioned, in order to maintain an environment of harmony here, we rely on a communal lifestyle. And if someone were to disrupt that harmony, they alone would be allowed to leave the school. That, my students, is the graduation clause!”

“What do you mean by ‘disrupt the harmony’?” Byakuya asked seriously.

“Puhuhu… Well, you know…” Monokuma started. “If one person were to murder another…”

It took me a second for me to process this as a whole, but when I did nothing but sheer terror came over me. I couldn’t even feel upset anymore, only panicky. My head felt like it was spinning, and I, too, felt like fainting. I felt like vomiting. I felt like crying. I simply felt terrible. But I did none of those things; I wasn’t even sure what I should’ve done. I was too unnerved to take action. I simply stood there, clinging tightly to the idol’s arm, my tan skin now a few shades lighter. I replayed Monokuma’s words over and over again in my head like a DJ replaying a pop song, only the words were more debilitating than uplifting. I was still in complete and utter disbelief, so much so I could’ve even describe the situation. 

This was true hell.

Suddenly, even with all the mental cacophony, I heard Chihiro begin to gently weep, but it was just her. No one tried anything. No one screamed. No one ran. We all just remained petrified in the graduation hall, either gazing at the bear or gazing at each other.

Makoto was the first to speak up. “M-Murder?!”

“Stabbing, strangling, bludgeoning, crushing, hacking, igniting, how you do it doesn’t matter,” the black and white bear said. “You must kill someone if you want to leave. It’s as simple as that. The rest is up to you. Give it your all to achieve the best outcome in the worst way possible.” Monokuma sniggered once again. “I bet that really got your brain juices flowing! Beats the heck out of a human catching a salmon, huh? Like I said before, you guys are the hope of the world. But you know… Taking that hope and seeing how it gets murdered creates a darkened shadow of despair.” The black and white bear then guffawed. “And I find that so… darn… exciting!”

Leon set Toko, who was now officially unconscious, on the floor before speaking. “What the hell are you talking about?! To kill each other… it’s… It’s…!”

“To kill each other is to kill each other,” Monokuma stated. “I’m sure there’s a dictionary somewhere if you need it.”

“We know what it means!” I shouted, surprising myself with my own sudden outburst. Tears started to stream down my face, but that didn’t affect my tone or my volume. “Why?! Why do we have to kill each other?!”

“Yeah!” Hifumi followed up. “Stop blabbering on with all this nonsense! Just let us go home already!”

Monokuma stared at Hifumi incredulously. “Blabbering?” The black and white menace’s expression then turned deathly serious. “Blabbering, blabbering, what do you mean by blabbering?! Stop blabbering on about blabbering on! You guys just don’t get it, do you? ‘Let us go, let us go’! You keep saying the same thing over and over and over! Listen. From this moment on, this school is your home, your life, your world. Got it? And you can kill as much as you want! So go on a kill-kill-killing spree!”

Yasuhiro looked over to Monokuma, wearing a smug expression. “Alright come on… How long are you gonna keep this up…?”

Monokuma looked over to the fortune teller curiously. “Eh?”

“You got us, okay? You scared the hell out of us. So go ahead and reveal the trick now.”

“Reveal the trick?” Monokuma asked.

Yasuhiro nodded. “Yeah, ‘cause I mean… Y’know, this is all some kinda trick and all, right? So uh, like…”

“Well, we know who's dying first,” Junko said to no one in particular, looking a melancholy and afraid for once—two emotions that seemed extrinsic of the fashionista.

“Dude, shut the hell up and move out of my way,” Mondo commanded. The biker gang leader pushed Hiro aside and made his way over to Monokuma, clenching his fists so tightly they shook. His unbridled rage was only emphasized by his booming, vicious tone as he spoke to the bear. “Listen up, asshole! This shit has gone way too far! What the hell kinda joke *is* this?!”

“Joke?” the bear asked in a mocking tone. “What, you mean like your hair?”

“Fuuuuuuu—!” Mondo roared out.

Suddenly, there was a boom, but it was no ordinary boom—it was Mondo Owada kicking off of the floorboards and launching himself into the air. He was dead set on his target—Monokuma—and flew as fast and straight as a bullet, with all the viciousness of a swarm of bloodthirsty wasps.

Then he did it.

He grabbed Monokuma and lifted the animatronic bear high into the air.

“Gotcha, you little piece of shit!” the biker taunted. “I dunno if you’re a toy, or a stuffed animal or whatever the hell! Either way, I’m gonna rip ya to fuckin’ shreds!”

“Wah! Violence against the headmaster is in violation of school regulations!” Monokuma warned.

“Shut the fuck up!” Mondo yelled. “Let me outta here, or I swear to Christ…”

Then, suddenly, Monokuma started beeping. It was an incessant beeping that persisted. I had seen too many actions movies to not know what it meant, but I once again found myself physically unable to speak or do anything except cling. Was I not even going to get the chance to be killed by someone else? Was I just going to die simply with my bits and pieces scattered around this school hall?

“What, no smartass comeback this time?” Mondo taunted.

Monokuma didn’t reply, in lieu the beeping only continued, the timeframe within each beep getting shorter and shorter and the beeps getting louder and louder as the seconds passed.

“Stop that goddamn beeping and say something!” Mondo yelled.

“Watch out! Get rid of it!” Kyoko commanded.

“You heard the woman!” Mukuro snapped. “Get rid of it! It’s a fucking bomb! Throw it!”

I couldn’t tell you if the two of their ferocities was a force combined to stun him into silence, but despite the quarrel before, he did exactly as told and chucked the Monokuma into the air, and as soon as he did, we saw the expected outcome. It exploded, only it had much less of a blast radius than I had expected. Nonetheless, I was still petrified, and this experience only made me fear for my life even more. 

Mondo was shocked, and it was clear from his face that his once indignant demeanor had been replaced completely. “The hell…?! Th-That sure wasn’t a joke…! It blew the hell up…!”

“Of course it blew the hell up, you fucking dumbass,” Junko chided viciously. “The fuck did you expect would happen?!”

Mondo didn’t reply. He was still in too much of a disturbance to even speak.

There was a painful ringing in my ears and the smell of gunpowder filled nostrils. I’ve seen explosions countless times in movies, but when it’s in real life, it’s absolutely terrifying, and that was an experience I swore that I’d never forget for as long as I lived.

“But… you know…” Chihiro started. “This means the teddy bear’s been destroyed, right…?”

“I told you, I’m not a teddy bear! I’m Monokuma!”

Suddenly, Monokuma reappeared, as good as new.

“The hell?! There’s another one?!” Leon screamed in disbelief.

“Y-You son of a bitch…” said Mondo. “You seriously tried to kill me just now…?”

“Well, yes,” Monokuma told him. “I was serious about trying to kill you. You did violate one of the school regulations, after all. I’ll leave you with a warning this time, but you’d better be careful from now on. Any naughty boy or girl who violates my rules won’t get away with a little swat on the butt!”

“Does this mean there are much more of you somewhere?” Mukuro asked.

“Monokuma’s have been placed all throughout the school, yes,” the bear replied. “Plus, don’t forget the surveillance cameras installed everywhere. And if you’re caught breaking any rules, well, you all just saw what happened, right?” Monokuma giggled. “Puhuhu… And I won’t be so forgiving with my punishment next time… So don’t let it happen again.”

_That’s not even a punishment! That’s just wrong!_

“Now then, lastly… To commemorate your joyous entry into our school, I have a little something for you…” Monokuma walked around and gave everyone a tablet-like device, and we didn’t dare not take it. “This is our official student handbook! Pretty cool, huh? As you can see, it’s fully digital so we call it the e-Handbook!” Monokuma paused before speaking. “Ahem, yes moving on. This handbook is absolutely vital to a healthy school life, so don’t lose it. When you start it up, it will display your name. Always make sure you have the right one! Now, this is not your everyday notebook. It has so many more uses than that! Also, it’s completely waterproof. Splash it, wash it, drown it, and it’ll keep on ticking! And thanks to space-age design it can withstand an impact force of up to ten tons. Very resistant! It contains all of our school regulations so make sure you view them thoroughly as well. You hear me say this a lot, but any violations of the school regulations will not be tolerated.” Monokuma placed both of his paws on his stomach and sighed. “Rules restrict, yes, but they also protect. Society, for example, would be utter chaos without laws. The same thing applies here, which is why we have strict punishments in place for violators! And that brings out entrance ceremony to a close! Please enjoy your abundantly dreary school life, and see ya!”

And with that, Monokuma vanished, leaving us all in a state of shock and utter disbelief. My jaw went agape, and I gazed at everyone, taking in their faces one by one for the second time today. Everyone’s demeanor changed from when I had first initially met them. They all still possessed an aura, but now that aura seemed tainted, and maybe it was just my own perception, but something told me that now, I could no longer distinguish friend from foe.

Kiyotaka was the first to speak. “So guys, how would you define what I had we just experienced?”

“How… Why…? I don’t understand any of this…” Leon muttered.

“Yeah, like, what the absolute motherfuck just happened?!” Junko asked. “Kill or be killed?! What kind of shit is that?!”

“Everyone, we just need to calm down,” Kyoko said. “First, let’s just take a second to summarize what we just heard. Based on what Monokuma said we have two choices. Choice number one is that we stay here living a ‘communal life’ living together until the day we die.”

“And option B is to murder another if we want to get out of here,” stated Byakuya earnestly.

“But killing someone! That’s wrong!” Chihiro yelled in between sobs.

“We were abducted out of nowhere and stuffed in this place meant to look like a school.” Hifumi blurted. “And now we’re supposed to be killing each other? T-This is…” Hifumi screamed, his loud, high pitched yelp resonating off of the walls. “This is…! This is just…! What is this…?!”

“A lie is what it is!” Kiyotaka proclaimed. “All these ridiculous things we’ve heard! It has to be fake!”

“Right now it doesn’t really matter what’s real and what’s fake,” Byakuya said. What matters is…” He paused, scanning everyone in the room before speaking again. “Who here is seriously considering all of this?”

To that nobody had a response. Instead, we all just turned to look at one another. We all tried to gauge each other’s thoughts. I could almost taste the hostility. Never before had any simple orientation of mine turned from a happy event of greetings of welcomes to a festival of guns. We didn’t speak. We just let the fear in our eyes do the talking as we gazed at one another. And that’s when it hit me. I realized the true meaning of Monokuma’s words. ‘You must kill someone if you want to leave’. Those words planted seeds of terror deep within us that messed with all of our heads. We all wondered if someone would betray us. If someone would attempt to kill us right now even. But that’s when I had another revelation. The *true* reason I had been brought to this academy wasn’t so that I could help the world flourish with new hope.

It was so I could experience the worst, most awful despair of my lifetime.

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* * *

**PROLOGUE - THE SPIRAL STAIRWAY OF DESPAIR; THE DEADLY LIFE OF THE OLYMPIC CADET**

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**END**

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**SURVIVING STUDENTS: 16**

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: So I thought I'd leave a little note at the end of the actual chapter. Basically, this is for the readers to say you guys are awesome and a big thanks for those supporting me despite my little hiatus. I've really been having fun with this ever since I started it back up and I hope you all continue to support me in the future. I'll do one final read through the prologue to see if I have any spelling or grammatical errors and fix them before I move onto any more chapters, so if that's the case and chapter nine is a little slow, you all know why. Also, I've noticed I got a couple of fans as well, just like to say, you guys are awesome too. Basically, I'd just like to give a big thank you to anyone who's reading.


	9. To Survive

**THE TEARS WE WEEP - CHAPTER 1**

****DAILY LIFE** **

* * *

********

The hostility was palpable. Eyes gazed menacingly as we all sized each other up, analyzing each other’s abilities to figure out who would make the first move and who would make the easiest target. And in my mind, fleeting thoughts of murder appeared, taunting me. I despised myself for it, but I actually contemplated killing someone here.

_Hiro’s an easy target. Makoto’s naive. Watch out for Sakura. Sayaka is maybe just a bit too friendly._

It just proved to show how truly fickle our bonds were if you were even able to call them that. I hadn’t even known the majority of these people an hour yet, so how could I call them my friends? They were surely friendly, but that was about it. I wasn’t about to let myself get killed here. I grimaced at the thought of killing anyone, but when placed in a life or death situation like this, I felt as if I had no choice. I wasn’t going to. Not *yet* at least, but I was far from calm, and I was innocent in my thoughts as well. I bit my lip and gave everyone a quick glance once again. 

_They’re all thinking the same thing. I’m gonna die here. I can’t die here, I have a family to get back to._

* * *

_I ripped open the envelope, carelessly tearing it, but leaving the letter inside unharmed. I beamed from ear to ear as I read the contents._

_‘Ms. Aoi Asahina,_

_We’ve been watching you for a few years now. You’re quite the talented young lady; so talented even, we wish for you to attend our institution as our very own ‘Ultimate Swimming Pro’. With the countless records you’ve broken since elementary school, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that you’re anything less worthy of said title._

_From what we’ve seen, you’ve also recently participated in Japan’s National High School Swimming Competition and broken the ‘Female 100m Freestyle Record’ of 55.86, set by Hanae Kobayashi, and setting a new record of 48.75, more than seven seconds faster than the former record! That, along with all of your prior accomplishments have earned you this title, and we’d be so honored to have you, Ms. Asahina._

_If you’re not certain, our location is in West Shinjuku, where you can meet with the headmaster and can discuss your attendance._

_We hope to see you soon!’_

_I was going to be the Ultimate Swimming Pro. *Me*. I would’ve been lying if I said I stopped the tears from coming. I was too happy to actually put it into words, and I was in complete and utter disbelief. I knew I was a talented person, but I never expected that I’d become an Ultimate of all things  
A knock on my door caught my attention, and I swung my head backward, grinning like a fool._

_“The door’s unlocked,” I said. “Come in.”_

_“Oh, good! I was waiting far too long, Sis!”_

_My smile grew wider once I heard the voice, and especially when the door clicked. Behind it, was my very own younger brother, Yuta Asahina, my best friend._

_We were truly kin. He looked just like me, dressed just like, we shared similar hobbies, would train together on mornings, and we got along better than most siblings._

_He was truly, the best little brother a big sister could ever have._

_“So, what kind of Ultimate are you, Sis?” he asked. “Soft Ball Player? Basketball Player?”_

_“Swimming Pro, actually,” I said, proudly. “Like you didn’t know that!”_

_“Eh?” He scratched his head. “I expected Athlete actually, from all the sports you do, but Swimming Pro is great as well though. I’m so proud of you, Sis!”_

_Yuta ran in and wrapped his arms around me, squeezing me tightly, which nearly made me fall out of my roller chair, but it didn’t matter much. I giggled a bit, reciprocating the action._

_“So proud of you, Sis…” he reiterated._

_“Proud of you too, Lil’ Bro.” I playfully ruffled his hair. “You better become the Ultimate Track Star so we can go to school together, alright?”_

_“Of course! That’s my dream! You’re the fastest in the water and I’ll be the fastest on the land! Don’t forget about me, alright? And look out! I’ll become an Ultimate just like you when I get out of middle school this year!”_

_“‘Course you will! I’ll watch out, okay? Do me proud!”_

_Yuta released me and stepped back. “Mom says we’ll go out for pizza in a few hours so we can celebrate. I’m just letting you know.”_

_“Pizza, huh? Do you think she’d take us to a donut shop afterwards? I want glazed!”_

_“Probably. It is your special day. And, when we get back you and I are watching anime.”_

_“You mean the one with the super muscular dudes with the ghosts that you’ve been watching? I like that one! It’s a deal!”_

_I looked up at Yuta’s confident smile. My little brother. He's such a great guy. I could've said with conviction that he'd become the Ultimate Track Star and join me at Hope's Peak, simply because we promised it to each other. That was just how our relationship was. We put a deep faith in each other because we knew no matter the task, we would be able to do it if we simply believed in each other. Too many times has Yuta been at my competitions, running along as a swam, calling my name, cheering me on. He earned me this title, so I wasn't going to let him down. After all, it's the duty of a big sister to make their little brother proud._

* * *

Paranoia filled my mind, and I swore I had become no less than a deranged hound. If it was for my brother, my mother, my father, I was ready to draw blood. Everyone else was thinking the same way, right? They didn’t say it, but I could tell they were thinking it. They all were going to do it. They all were going to try to kill me. Looking around the room, it was completely different. The happy little bonsai tree sat atop the podium was a deadly weapon used for bludgeoning, and the blood-red folding chairs had become props to a horror movie.

But then, she spoke, cutting the sharp, stale, hostile air and bringing us all back to reality.

“So, what are you going to do now?” Kyoko Kirigiri asked, making fifteen pairs of eyes move towards her direction. “Just stand around glaring at each other?”

“R-Right! She’s right!” Kiyotaka said, albeit with uncertainty in his voice. “Sometimes even if you’re nervous or afraid, you just have to move forward!” The Ultimate Moral Compass balled his hands into his fists and tears fell from his eyes. “To forget such a simple fact… I can’t forgive myself! I’m so ashamed! Please, someone hit me! I can’t forgive myself! Somebody hit me! Punish me!”

“Christ,” Junko said. “Shut up already, I’m sure there’s a joke about you being a little subby bitch-boy in there somewhere, but I’m too shaken up to make it…”

“Perhaps, but what is the mission exactly?” Hifumi asked.

“Idiot!” Leon snapped. “To look for a way out, duh!”

Mondo cracked his knuckles. “Yeah, we simply need to look for whoever the hell was controlling that stupid bear and beat the shit outta ‘em!”

“B-But before we do that, m-maybe we should all take a look at the handbook…” Chihiro said. “I-It’s probably better to check out the school regulations Monokuma mentioned before we do anything else…”

“True. If we stumble around with no clue what the rules are something not so pleasant may happen. Good job, Chihiro,” Celeste said, smiling. She then turned to my direction. “Hina, would you be a dear and read the rules aloud?”

I pointed to myself almost as if to ask _Did you pick me?_ The gambler simply nodded. I inhaled deeply, breathing in clean air to cleanse the vile aura that had resided within me before taking out my student e-Handbook and turning it on; after I did, the words _Aoi Asahina_ appeared, confirming Monokuma’s statement that the name of the owner of the handbook appears front and center. Then, from the main menu that popped up, I selected the _Rules and Regulations_ icon.

“Rule number one,” I started. “Students may only reside within the school. Leaving the campus is an unacceptable waste of time.”

“How the hell can we leave the campus if we’re stuck in here…” Leon mumbled.

I continued, “Rule number two. ‘Nighttime’ is from 10 P.M. to 7 A.M. Some areas are off-limits at night, so please exercise caution. Rule number three. Sleeping anywhere other than the dormitory will be seen as sleeping in class and will be punished accordingly. Rule number four. With minimal restrictions, you will be allowed to explore Hope’s Peak Academy at your own discretion. Rule number five. Violence against headmaster Monokuma is strictly prohibited, as is destruction of surveillance cameras.”

“Well, we saw what occurred when Mondo attacked Monokuma,” Celestia commented. “I wonder if the surveillance cameras also explode…”

“Hopefully not,” Makoto said.

“Well, we can only hope,” the gambler said. “Continue, Hina.”

I nodded. “Rule number six. Anyone who kills a fellow student is ‘blackened’ and will graduate unless they are discovered. Rule number seven. Additional school regulations will be added as necessary.”

I looked up from the e-Handbook and saw a raging Mondo.

“What the hell kind of rules are these?!” the biker gang leader asked furiously. “This is bullshit, I’m not gonna let them control me!”

“I believe that’s in your job description,” Junko said flatly.

“Then why don’t you wander around the school without a care in the world and see what happens?” Celestia said. “Personally, I would love to see what happens when someone breaks one of the rules.”

“I don’t think you should encourage him, Ludenberg,” Mukuro said.

“Yeah,” Hifumi agreed. “If he got punished like how we saw before, I don’t think there’d be a respawn waiting for him…”

Mondo looked shell-shocked, but his face soon returned to normal and he spoke again. “I… Ever since I was a kid, I grew up with my older brother pounding this into my head… When a man makes a promise, he has to keep it, even if it kills him…”

“So what?” Junko asked.

“I’ve made a promise I still need to keep, that’s ‘so what’!” Mondo answered. “So I can’t afford to die here!”

“None of that made sense to me, but you are saying you will follow the regulations, is that it?” Celeste asked. 

“Huh, Oh, well… yeah,” Mondo said, scratching his head. “I guess you’re right…”

“Hey um, I have a question,” Sayaka spoke up. “For regulations number six, what do you think it means exactly?”

“You’re talking about the second half, right?” Makoto questioned. “The part where it says ‘unless they are discovered’? I was wondering about that myself.”

“It’s saying if you want to graduate, you have to kill someone without anyone finding out it was you,” said Byakuya.

“B-But why…?! W-Why do we have to do that?!” Chihiro asked in shock.

“I don’t see any reason to worry about it,” Byakuya replied. “Just follow the rules as they’ve been explained to us.”

“Y-Yeah,” I said. “For now, let’s forget about all that silly junk about murderers or whatever…”

“I agree,” Mukuro said. “Now that we know the rules, let’s begin exploring this school.”

“True,” Kiyotaka said. “We need to find out where exactly we are. Is there any way out? What about food and supplies? There are tons of questions we need to answer!”

“Damn straight!” Leon said enthusiastically. “Okay, then! Let’s all start looking around!”

“...I’ll be going alone,” Byakuya said.

“Why may that be?” Sakura asked.

“Someone here might have already started thinking about murdering one of us,” Byakuya said. “Are you saying we should stand around with them in our midst and make it that much easier for them?”

I grimaced at Byakuya’s words, and I plummeted deeper into self-loathing.

_I hate to say it, but for once, he’s right._

“W-Wait, hold on!” Sayaka said. “That would never—!”

“Don’t bother saying it couldn’t happen,” Byakuya chided, a serious look on his face. “You can’t deny the possibility. That’s why you all seized up with fear when that graduation rule was made clear to you.” He then smirked confidently and folded his arms. “Am I wrong?”

_You’re not wrong._

I found myself agreeing with Byakuya even though I didn’t want Makoto to do the exact same thing. _I’m such a hypocrite_ , I thought. Strangely enough, I found myself all over the place. My emotions, my thoughts. Who was I? I didn’t seem like myself. I didn’t even know myself. I wasn’t the same Aoi Asahina that had come to Hope’s Peak Academy, instead, I was someone else.

“B-But…” Sayaka looked off to the side with an emotion I couldn’t decipher. Dubiousness? Apprehensiveness? Shame? I didn’t know.

“So, I’m simply acting in accordance with what I believe is best for me,” Byakuya said.

“Hold on!” Mondo shouted. “Like hell I’m gonna let you run off and do what you want!”

“Out of my way, plankton,” Byakuya said sternly.

“Wh—?! The fuck is that supposed to mean?!” Mondo asked furiously.

“One tiny bit of plankton, drifting across the sea,” Byakuya heckled. “So minuscule, so insignificant, they couldn’t possibly have any kind of influence on the boundless ocean.”

“I’m gonna kick your ass!” Mondo shouted.

“S-Stop it! We shouldn’t fight!” Makoto yelled.

“The fuck did you just say? You some kind of goody-goody little bitch?” Mondo cracked his knuckles. “Who the fuck do you think you are talkin’ to me like that? You think you’re my fuckin’ dad or something?!”

“N-No I wasn’t—!” Makoto took a step back.

“Fuck you!”

Mondo lunged forward and there was a loud wham and the next thing I saw was a flash of green flying across the room—Makoto Naegi. It was like he was actually flying, but he crashed to the ground quickly with a loud thump. Without even thinking, a sped over to his side.

“Makoto!” I screamed as I dropped to my knees. 

I panicked once I saw the sea of red on his forehead. I quickly placed my right hand on his chest, and luckily, there was a pulse. 

“Shit…” Mondo muttered.

“Well, would you look at that. The expected outcome,” Byakuya stated. “I hope you all understood my words.”

With that, Byakuya began leaving, leaving the rest of us to stare at the aftermath at what had just unfolded. 

Soon, Sayaka began sprinting over to me. “Hina is he okay?!” she asked mid-sprint, before dropping to her knees upon arrival and undoing the big, pink bow on her chest and beginning to wrap it around Makoto’s head.

“Y-Yeah,” I replied. “Just a bit of bleeding…”

“Well, that was quite the experience,” Celeste said. “I hate to say it, but perhaps Byakuya was right. You are rather out of control, Mondo.”

“Ya’ think?!” Junko said. “He just knocked poor ol’ Makoto out! Now we got two people unconscious!” The fashionista stamped her foot. “Ugh, I’m sick of this! Maybe glasses had the right idea going on my himself. I’ll see you all later.”

Junko turned on her heel and began walking towards the exit of the gymnasium, leaving us with a student count of fourteen.

“G-Guys, we need to put him somewhere,” I said. “Makoto *and* Toko, do we have a plan?”

“Have you all seen the sign that says ‘Despair Hotel’?” Kyoko asked. “It’s likely a living quarters. Therefore, we can place the two of them over there.” The lilac-haired girl turned to me and Sayaka. “Would you two, along with Sakura take him there?”

“Hmm? Why not as a group?” Celestia asked.

“Yeah, shouldn’t we go as a group?” Leon asked.

Kyoko shook her head. “Soon we’ll all adventure together. However, while they’re off, we should probably begin discussing what we’ll do during our search, since it’ll be better if we all split up and investigate different areas. We should assign groups.”

Sakura walked over to Toko and grabbed her by the stomach and slung her over her shoulder before making her way over to us and doing the same with Makoto. “Understood.”

“I don’t really get it, but I’ll trust you, Kyoko,” Celeste put on her usual cheery, yet ominous smirk. “After all, our trust is all we have, yes?”

“You two take Makoto and Toko to that ‘Despair Hotel’ and meet back here quickly!” Kiyotaka demanded.

Sayaka stood up and I did the same. “Alright,” we both said in unison.

We exited the gymnasium, and I couldn’t stop the awful feeling within me. I did wonder if I was really myself, or if some sort of entity possessed me. I still wasn’t in the right frame of mind.

_‘Forget all that silly junk about murderers’? What a joke._

I desperately wanted to be calm, but I couldn’t, and the fact that we traversed in ominous silence didn’t help. As I moved through door and after door, Sayaka nor Sakura spoke even as much as a mumble, and I wondered what was going through their minds.

I became paranoia's slave, and occasionally, I glanced at both of them, less than pleasant thoughts about both of them coming to my mind, and they only served to nauseate me even more, as I realized how much of my humanity I had already thrown away before the first life had been taken.

Eventually, after navigating the dangerous halls, we finally reached our destination. A simple coral stone sign that read 'Despair Hotel' sat on the floor, slightly slanted, but it might as well have been a gravestone.

“So, this is the place, huh?” Sayaka finally spoke up.

“It would seem so,” Sakura replied.

“W-Well, then let’s go…” I said.

Without another word, we continued moving. We were soon met with a metal gate, which I pushed open, and behind was a large room that seemed to branch off into several others. In my immediate sight, there were four blue banners, each one carrying a letter of the word ‘BATH’ and a sign that had a knife and fork on them.

_That must be a bathhouse and a cafeteria, or something._

However, also in my immediate vision was a long, red hallway that seemed to beckon me to move in that direction.

“Do, you guys think we should check out that red hallway?” I asked.

“Possibly,” Sakura answered. “It doesn’t seem like any of these rooms are living quarters just yet. We should keep exploring.”

“Yeah,” Sayaka said. “They could be down that way.”

Since we were all in agreement, we continued to move to the hallway, and we were greeted with little pixel sprites of ourselves on wooden signboards—one for each student. Makoto’s was the closer than Toko’s, between Sayaka’s and Kyoko’s at the beginning of the hallway. The pop idol hurried over and tried to open the door, however it wouldn’t budge.

“Locked,” she said.

“Well, how are we supposed to get in if it’s locked?” I asked.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a familiar black and white bear which I dreaded the sight of appeared, scaring me half to death and making me and Sayaka jump in shock, however, Sakura remained unphased except for a small tense of her humongous muscles.

“I can help with that!” Monokuma said proudly. In his paw, he held out sixteen keys, dandling them all by the keychain. “Be sure to give these to your other classmates as well. Each key is one of a kind, so as expected they only work in their designated locks.”

Sayaka reached down and took the keys. “Thanks…”

And as soon as he appeared, Monokuma vanished, leaving us all to contemplate the spectacle

“H-How did he appear and vanish so quickly…?!” I asked in shock.

Both girls shrugged.

“Let’s just open Makoto’s door and leave him inside,” Sayaka said.

“Isn’t he going to panic?” I asked.

Sayaka shrugged again. “He’s a strong boy, he’ll be okay by himself.”

The idol went through all of the keys before finally finding Makoto’s, sliding it into the lock, turning it, and opening the door. Inside, was a cozy-looking dormitory you would find in a college. The walls were covered in red wallpaper, probably to match the blood that was expected to be spilled, and the metal plates were still ever-apparent, along with a menacing security camera.

_They even want to watch us sleep. Damn creeps._

Sakura set Makoto down onto the bed gently, letting him rest.

“He looks kind of silly with my bow around his head, don’t you think?” Sayaka joked.

I frowned. “Yeah…”

She cocked her head to the side. “Hey what’s wrong?”

I held both of my hands in front of me and sadly sighed. “I’m weak, that’s what’s wrong… I’m sorry to all of you, I let you down…”

Sakura looked over and raised an eyebrow. “What are you talking about, Hina?”

“I thought about killing! That’s what!” I yelled. “Killing, taking a life! Something that’s seriously not okay! And I thought about it! Me, Aoi Asahina! I was scared of both of you, and I… I…” I started to tear up, balling my hands into fists. “I’m a horrible person for thinking so…! I don’t ask that you forgive me, but—!”

I was cut off by Sayaka gently patting my back.

“There there,” she said in a soft tone. “Don’t worry about it, okay? I’m sure you’re not the only one.”

Sakura nodded. “It takes some bravery to admit something like that, especially in a situation like this. I’m glad you told us because others would not be so bold.”

“Y-You guys aren’t mad at me?” I said between sobs.

“Hina, let me tell you something very important,” Sayaka started. “I’m an idol. I mean, you knew that already, right? But, from my first years, I’ve seen some very nauseating, very terrible, very horrendous things. Us idols aren’t really allowed to talk about it, but since it’s just us, let me tell you the truth. I love my job, but I absolutely *despise* the industry. It taught me that ‘good people’ aren’t always nice, nor do the right thing. So in truth, this is nothing new to me. You’ll only be betraying us *when* you kill someone. So, that’s up to you, but you look like you’re really sorry, and most ‘good people’,” Sayaka made bunny ears for emphasis, “don’t usually cry at their bad actions.”

“W-Wow, I didn’t know…” I said. 

“The life of being an idol is a fun job, but it’s dangerous, and not for everyone.” Sayaka smiled. “So, just keep your head up high, alright? I shared that story so that you don’t worry too much. I don’t want you thinking I’m super depressed or broody or anything like that. I love being an idol. And I’m grateful to be the Ultimate Pop Sensation as well!”

Sayaka’s words reminded me of the true reality—even though we were all Ultimates, we were human. We all had faults, and even though society put us on a pedestal, we were all normal teenagers. Even though Sayaka Maizono on stage was elegant, beautiful, and all smiles, she was simply a normal person who cared for others as well.

“Thank you, Sayaka…” I said.

“No problem,” she replied. 

“To me, you’re both very brave,” Sakura said with a smile. “Hina, I don’t think I’ve told you, but I’m a fan of you. Often, I’d watch your swimming competitions and admire your resolve. In the pool, it’s almost as if you become a completely different person. You swim with conviction and confidence, and I personally think that’s admirable. Don’t let transient weakness pull you down and defeat you. It would be a shame to lose someone like you to this madness.”

My sobs turned to full-on crying, and I dropped to my knees. “O-Oh, my gosh, t-thank you s-so much… I…” I wiped my sleeves in my hoodie and pumped my fist into the air. “I’m going to work harder from now on! I’m a new Aoi! I’m going to become me again, the me before all of this happened!”

Sayaka smirked. “Good. It’d probably be for the best if you don’t worry about everything anyways, as hard as that may seem.”

“Agreed,” said Sakura.

“S-So, you guys are still my friends, right?” I asked.

“Yes,” Sakura answered.

Sayaka nodded. “Why wouldn’t we be? We all have to work together and get out of here anyways. It’d probably be for the best to have some friends I can trust.”

“Just remember, Hina,” Sakura started, “if you fall, I’ll always be here to bring you back up. I’ve trained body and mind, and I’ve experienced the same weakness you have at times, so if you ever need assistance, I’ll be there.”

Sayaka nodded and smiled. “Though, I have one question. How are you a ‘new Aoi’ when you’re going back to your old self?”

“That is a good question…” I answered. “Well, just take it at face value. Anyways, we need to go set Toko—”

Almost on queue, Toko Fukawa animated once more and began thrashing against Sakura’s shoulder.

“Gah! L-Let me down, O-Ogre!” she yelled. “L-Let me down now!”

Sakura, not phased at all by Toko’s attacks, set her down to stand on her own two feet. “You simply had to ask.”

“Wh-Where are we?! S-Still in Hope’s P-P-Peak?! So, t-that wasn’t a dream?!” Toko scampered around the room, taking in the new atmosphere. “A-A-And where the hell a-are we now?!”

“We’re in a dorm room,” Sayaka answered. “Makoto’s to be exact. Speaking of, I should give you all your room keys.”

Sayaka held out the keys in her hand, letting the nametags drop past their drop past her palm so we could take our keys. Sakura and I took ours without any trouble and Toko took hers somewhat apprehensively.

“S-S-So, how long h-have I been out?” the writer asked, biting her thumb.

“Not too lengthy of a period,” Sakura answered. “Perhaps fifteen to twenty minutes.”

“I-I see…” Toko paused, her face going pale upon a realization of something. She stepped back and grabbed her pigtails. “W-W-Wait! Y-You’re all g-g-going to kill me! W-Where is everyone else?!”

“Still in the gymnasium,” I answered. “And we’re not going to kill you! We’re all thinking of ways to get out of here together!”

Toko pointed an accusatory finger at me. “W-Why should I b-believe you, y-you idiot swimmer…?” 

“Because you should,” Sayaka answered. “Everyone else is back there waiting for us, so we’ve gotta hurry.”

“Yes, Toko,” Sakura said. “We need your assistance. This situation is dire, and having your help could prove useful. You have to trust us. We don’t intend to hurt you.”

_Thanks, guys._

I forced a smile. “Yeah, just, come on with us. Kyoko and everyone else are thinking up a plan to get us all out…”

It seemed as if Toko instantly grew less hostile. She held her hands in front of her and nodded. “O-Okay, if you’re so sure… B-But…” She looked at us all again, her expression hostile once more. “I-If you t-t-try something! I-I won’t forgive you!”

“Okay, deal,” Sayaka answered. “Now, we have to get back to the others. Let’s go.”

Sayaka left first, giving a quick glance to the sleeping Makoto before exiting, and Sakura followed suit, leaving. I got off my knees and patted Toko on the shoulder.

“It’ll be okay,” I said, with a smile.

“H-Huh…?” Toko seemed shocked by my gesture. She looked into my deep pools of blue, probably trying to figure out if I was tricking her, or had some sort of devious deeds that I wished to act out. “I-I know that… Y-You don’t need to r-remind me… But… thank you…” Toko frantically scratched her head. “Ugh, this doesn’t make sense… Let’s just go already!”

I cocked my head to the side. “Huh, what doesn’t make sense?”

“W-Why you’re being so n-nice to me, e-even though I-I yelled at you a-and called you names!”

“Well… I think you’re an okay person,” I responded. “Maybe a little bitter, but I think everyone has some good in them, and you’re no different…”

Toko just groaned again. “I’m even more confused!”

“Then, let’s just get to investigating. We can talk about this later.”

“L-Later? I-Is that w-w-when you’re going to kill me?!”

I sighed. “I already said I’m not gonna kill you. Come on, let’s just go.”

“F-Fine…”

Toko and I both left the room, and I thought about my promise to myself, and Sayaka’s and Sakura’s promise to me, and then my thoughts went to my brother. I couldn’t afford to let them down. Any of them down. I was going to become the old Hina. I pushed all dubious and malicious thoughts out of my mind, and as the four of us walked, I focused on my one goal.

_I need to get out of here. I need to survive._


	10. Firearms

The return to the gymnasium was done in silence. Toko watched all of us carefully, like prey wary of a predator. Only, we were just like her, victims of this foul game. But, the plan was to search for a way out, and that we all planned to do; we needed to, for ourselves, for our friends, for our friends, and for our families.

After we had returned, it seemed like a completely different place. The atmosphere had felt less tense, the air didn’t seem so stagnant, and on everyone’s faces, an undoubtable sense of resolve. I knew they must’ve come up with something great.

“Hey everyone,” Sayaka greeted. “We’re back.”

“Hey, welcome back,” Leon welcomed. 

“I see Fukawa is back as well,” Mukuro said. I swore an uncharacteristic smile came to the soldier’s face as she opened her mouth to speak again. “You fainted, so I was a bit worried, I was unsure when you’d wake again. It wouldn’t be beneficial to the group to have two active members unconscious.”

“H-Huh?” Toko started. “W-What d-do you m-mean a-active members…? T-This isn’t s-some military b-base…” The author dug her heel into the ground and stuck her forefinger out at Mukuro. “A-And don’t p-pretend like you cared either! I-I know you didn’t!”

Mukuro blinked. “Excuse me…?”

“Y-You heard me…” Toko said, this time more meekly than before, lowering her hands to her pelvis. 

“Don’t worry, she’s just a bit startled, she just woke up after all,” I said smiling sheepishly, a hand thrown behind my head.

“I-I don’t need you talking for me, you i-idiot swimmer!” Toko retorted.

“H-Huh?” I looked over at Toko, and slapped my forehead. “Oh no, not this again!”

“She’s right,” Kiyotaka said. “Toko, watch your rude remarks! We’re all supposed to be teammates!”

“Yes, quite,” Celestia commented. “If you keep this up, you’ll be the first to die simply because you are unliked.” As she spoke, I saw an unsettling smile come across the gambler’s face, which only seemed to taunt the Ultimate Writing Prodigy more, her face now red with rage.

“We should focus,” Kyoko said. The lilac-haired girl then turned to face me, her right elbow resting on the other arm, index finger on her cheek. “Hina, what did you all find in the Despair Hotel?”

“Huh, me? Uh, a lot actually,” I said. “Well, first there looked to be a bathhouse,” I began counting on my fingers, pulling out the index one on the mention of the bathhouse, “and a cafeteria or kitchen too.” I took my right cheek between my forefinger and thumb, my hangdog expression returning to my face once more. “Though, we didn’t go check to see which one, since we wanted to get Makoto and Toko into bed first. Speaking of, there were also the dorms, though they didn’t seem to be separated by gender or anything like that. Makoto’s was between yours and Sayaka’s.”

Sakura nodded in confirmation. “Everything Hina has stated up until now is the truth.”

“Yeah, and speaking of…” Sayaka said, walking forward to the middle of the room. “I have everyone’s room keys.” The idol held out her right hand and shook them, a cacophonic sound emitted as nickel silver clashed against nickel silver. “Monokuma gave them to me and said to give them to you all.”

“Hey just gave ‘em to you?” Mondo asked, his voice quieter and less brash than usual. “And you seriously took ‘em?”

“I had no reason not to,” Sayaka said. “I don’t see why I shouldn’t have. They’re our room keys after all.”

“Yes, and she wasn’t the one who provoked him in the first place either,” Celeste said. 

“What’s with you today, Ludenberg?” Mukuro asked, her voice earnest.

“Oh, whatever do you mean?” Celestia asked, steepling and smiling. 

“You know what I mean…” Mukuro said, giving a death glare.

“It’s all in good fun, dear,” the gambler chirped.

“I seriously doubt that,” Mukuro said. “You sound more like Enoshima everytime you say something like that…”

“Hmm, like her?” Celestia looked off to the side. “I’m simply adapting.”

“Adapting…?” Hifumi asked. “Forgive me, but I do not know what you mean…”

“Adapting,” the ravette gambler reiterated calmly. “Adapting to the environment. After all, one of us has surely thought of killing already. If I have something to say, why not simply say it. After all, I’m not sure how much longer I'll have.” Celestia’s grin grew wider. “Though, if it’s a problem, you do have my apologies, Mondo, and you too, Toko.” Her face went stern once more. “But I’m quite serious, with your foolhardy attitudes, you will die. There’s no doubt about it.”

“Ngh, I don’t n-need a bitch l-like you telling m-me that…!” Toko chided. “I-I can fend f-for myself perfectly w-well, a-and I don’t n-need a someone like y-you telling m-me I’m gonna die!”

“Ya know, the stuttering really isn’t selling it,” said Leon.

“S-Shut up…” Toko mumbled.

“Guys, we really shouldn’t fight!” I said. “We have to work together right now!”

“Hina’s right,” Sakura continued. “There is no benefit in bickering with each other over trivial matters.”

“I agree,” Celestia said. “So, let’s work as a group and get out of this foul place.”

“She gives me the creeps…” Hiro commented softly.

“Uh, guys, the keys.” Sayaka jingled the keys once more.

“Oh right,” Hiro said. “Sorry about that Sayaka.”

One by one, the members of our group who had remained in the gymnasium came and took their own keys, eyeing them in their hands. Admittedly, they were really impressive. They brand-new nickel shone brilliantly in my hand despite the peculiar, dark design the institution seemed to have sometimes, and on the back, a key tag, one bearing the owner’s name, and sporting their signature colours—mine being red in the body and blue in the stitching, of course. The key tag seemed like custom embroidery as well. Each stitch within the leather seemed to be done so perfectly and evenly a god themselves had to have created it—there was no doubt it was a master’s work. Holding mine in the palm of my hand, I gave it one last glance, observing it before clutching it and looking back to everyone else, watching as they took theirs.

After the gift-giving process, of our tickets to an eternity within the academy, was over, we all looked to each other’s faces, not with doubt, not with anger, but with synergy and cooperation.

“So, what’s the plan?” I asked, earnestly.

“We’re going in groups,” Kyoko replied. “All except for two of us—myself and Taka.”

“Taka?” Sayaka asked.

Kiyotaka nodded and smiled. “That’s me.”

“He wanted a nickname, so we thought we’d give him one,” Leon said. “Chihiro came up with ‘Taka’, so that’s what we used.”

“Anyways,” Kyoko continued, “that’s not all. The groups we’ve decided are Leon, Hiro and Chihiro, you, Sakura, Mondo and Mukuro, and Celeste, Toko, and Hifumi.”

“And what is our objective?” Sakura inquired.

“Simple,” the mysterious lilac-haired girl responded. “You’ll be looking for a way to communicate with the outside.”

“The other groups will obviously be looking for a way out as well,” Taka chimed in. “So, we’ll all be supporting each other on this exploration!”

“Inside voice, man,” Mondo mumbled.

“So, if that’s all, we should be going now,” Celeste said. “Are we going to the Despair Hotel ourselves?”

“Eventually,” Kyoko answered. “It’ll probably be on the way. What’s the time now?”

“Well, I remember seeing a clock that said it was 7:58 AM,” I said. “It’s probably closer to nine, now, I’d say.”

“Then we have plenty of time,” Kyoko said, folding her arms afterward. “Investigate as much as you can, and we’ll meet up again for lunch at twelve at the cafeteria Hina talked about.”

“Wait, what about me?” Sayaka asked. 

“Watch Makoto,” Kyoko instructed. “He’ll need someone there in case he wakes up, though, you can investigate as well. Just in the surrounding area.”

Sayaka nodded. “Will do.”

“I think that’s all for now,” Kiyotaka said. “Let’s begin the investigation now.”

“Right,” we all managed to say in unison.

Afterward, we all gathered in our respective groups and began the search, traversing through the gym doors and into the hallway, eventually splitting up and all heading different directions. Through a certain biker gang leader’s suggestion, our group went to the classroom where I had first awoken from my slumber and realized the reality of the terrible situation that had been my kidnapping.

We searched the area for anything useful to use as contact to the outside, but our quest was futile. All we found were old chairs, windows surrounded by a metal barrier, worn desks, and a clock that only counted the minutes of futility we had wasted.

A sigh pushed its way past my lips, and I closed a desk pocket I had been searching. “No dice.”

“Yeah, there’s nothin’ in this fuckin’ classroom,” Mondo said. “This shit is a pain in the ass.”

“Well, you shouldn’t have expected it to be easy in the first place,” Mukuro said. “You were the one who recommended we search here.”

“Yeah, but still…” Mondo trailed off. “I wonder what the asshole that captured us is thinking.”

“I wonder that too,” I said, beginning to check another desk. “I wonder what their motives were…”

“It’s pretty obvious,” Mukuro said. “We all have one thing in common—that being we’re all Ultimates, and new ones at that. I wouldn’t doubt that the mastermind did this simply because of some testing or something, or simply because they were an evil person.”

“Yeah,” I said. “Like in the movies…”

“I don’t know what kinda movies you’re watching,” the biker gang leader mumbled.

“Huh, you’ve never seen ‘Gone Baby Gone’?” I asked.

“Nope,” he responded.

“I have,” Mukuro stated. “Though, I think it’s a bit different from that, Asahina. Most alien abduction movies would work better.”

“Huh?” I closed the desk. “Never expected you to be a fan of movies, Mukuro.”

The soldier folded her arms. “Well, I am. Is that really so surprising?”

I nodded slightly. “Well, just a little bit. You’re always so stern, I didn’t really expect you to really have time for those things.”

Mukuro shrugged. “Not really, it’s something you need to develop in the army. Everyone needs some recreational time to do the things they like. We should focus though.”

“Yeah,” I responded.

I continued, going through another desk, but not really expecting to find anything at this point. We had been in this room for quite awhile now, and the chances that anything would turn up still seemed slim, but I just kept searching, trying not to think about it. Suddenly, Mondo spoke.

“Yeah, uh, this isn’t getting us anywhere…” the biker gang leader said.

“You think?” Mukuro sighed. “This *isn’t* getting us anywhere, but it was good we checked at least. Just so we could find a whole lot of nothing.”

“Are you bein’ sarcastic with me?” Mondo asked, eyes filled with rage.

“No,” Mukuro responded. “I’m being serious. At least we know where not to check now. We have time anyways.”

Sakura finally spoke up. “What time is it?”

I looked up at the clock. “9:11 AM.”

“We’ve only been searching for eleven minutes?” Mondo mumbled.

“I’m surprised we could’ve searched the same classroom for eleven minutes in the first place,” I said to myself.

“Agreed, Asahina,” Mukuro said, folding her arms and leaning against the wall.

“So, what’s our course of action now?” Sakura asked.

“No clue,” Mukuro said.

“Weren’t you the one callin’ all the shots before?” Mondo asked.

“Nope,” she responded. “Kirigiri. I wouldn’t know what to do, I’m in the same situation as you all.”

“I would’ve thought you’d have a plan, Mukuro,” I said.

“Not really,” the soldier replied. “Because I don’t particularly like talking doesn’t make me a scheming mastermind or highly intelligent. Either way, we have quite a while before lunch, so we should be fine anyways.”

“What about the big metal hatch?” Mondo asked. “The big one in front of the entrance.”

Mukuro raised an eyebrow. “You mean the one with the giant Gatling gun in front of it? Do you think we can move the hatch somehow?”

“Hang on, yeah!” I said. “Mondo, you might be onto something!”

“And exactly *how* do you propose we do that?” Mukuro asked.

Both of us went silent. We both lacked any answers. How would we answer a question like that even? Break down the hatch? How? I felt myself fall deeper into the pit of hopelessness. What was I to do in a situation like this? I didn’t know. Suddenly, Sakura spoke.

“We’ll definitely need to see if we can do something with the hatch though,” the martial artist said. “You know a lot about guns, correct?”

“I do,” Mukuro responded. “Are you thinking what I think you are?”

Sakura nodded. “Yes.”

“Wait, um, what are you thinking?” I asked.

“Sakura’s thinking we could use the gun to put a few in the hatch,” Mukuro replied. “Isn’t that right.”

The martial artist nodded once again.

“Oh, I see!” I said. “Good plan!”

“Not so fast,” Mukuro warned. “The metal could be bulletproof, and I’d actually need to find a way to get up there.”

“Well, you could have Sakura lift you up there, and if that isn’t enough, I can lift you,” I replied.

The trooper raised an eyebrow once more. “Like a totem pole?”

“Yeah, like a totem pole!” I confirmed. “If it goes well, it should work.”

“Well, then it’s worth a shot,” Mondo said. “Let’s go put some fuckin’ holes in that hatch!”

“Yeah!” I cheered, pumping my fist into the air.

“Your enthusiasm to put bullets into something is scary,” Mukuro said.

“Though, not unwelcome,” Sakura added. 

Mukuro shrugged, a wry smile on her face. “Well, let’s try it and see if it works.” 

It was strange to see Mukuro actually smile, but perhaps it was the atmosphere. I didn’t expect our group to get along as well as we did, so it was a pleasant surprise. I had taken Mukuro for the serious type, so I was surprised that she showed any signs of mirth.

But, it wasn’t unwelcome, it made her seem more human. From her neck-length black hair to her attire, she was a soldier through and through, but like Sayaka, I had to remember she was simply a normal high school girl as well.

We soon left for the exit, Sakura, and Mondo carrying chairs they had obtained from the classroom prior to the departure, and before we knew it we were greeted by our main captor, a giant metal hatch that separated us from everything we had loved on the other side of it. I was determined to blow the hatch down somehow and find a way out, though it was easier said than done. The sheer size of it alone was intimidating, but I decided to trust in Mukuro, hoping she knew what she was doing.

The soldier pointed to the Gatling guns above. “There it is. We have to use that to blast away the door. From the angle, I don’t think we’ll be hit by any stray bullets, but trajectory is a tricky thing, so you best stand back, Owada.” 

“You sound too laid-back sayin’ that,” Mondo mumbled.

“It looks like we’ll need three people to get up there,” Mukuro stated, taking off her olive-green combat vest and dropping it onto the floor. “So, we know the plan, right? Sakura takes Hina, Hina takes me?”

“That’s the plan,” I said. “Let’s do this!”

Kicking our plan into action, I walked over to Mukuro and stooped down, signaling for her to climb onto my shoulders. She did so, sitting on them and letting her knees hang over, and I wrapped my arms around her legs and stood up. She was surprisingly light for being the Ultimate Soldier. Sakura then repeated the action, stooping down to the ground. It proved troublesome to climb up onto her, especially with Mukuro on top, but I managed, and Sakura squeezed my legs tightly, ensuring I didn’t fall. She then moved over to the back of the Gatling gun.

“Can you activate it?” the martial artist asked.

“I’m not a technician, but I think so,” Mukuro replied. “Though, Fujisaki would probably be better at this than me, make sure to stand back, alright, Owada?”

Mondo nodded and quickly moved behind us. “You better be sure about this. I can’t die here like I said.”

“Yeah, hang on! They’re facing away from us, but they look like they can move,” Mukuro said. “I don’t think I know how to activate these. Maybe they’re sensor operated?” The soldier frantically banged against the back of the Gatling gun a couple times, and there didn’t seem to be a reaction. “Come on, shoot you damn things.”

As if she spoke it into existence, it roared to life, firing relentlessly. I heard, “Fuck!” fly from Mondo’s mouth as he moved closer toward the two of us, ensuring he didn’t get hit by the bullets, and “Shit!” from Mukuro’s as she wobbled backward, her knees pulling away from my grip. I tried to ensure that she didn’t fall, but it was too difficult to maintain my grip on her, and I began slipping from Sakura’s constriction, despite her strength, and before we knew it, we were both in midair. Mukuro nearly crashed—emphasis on nearly. Mondo had managed to catch her. 

I, however, wasn’t so lucky.


	11. Hospital

I gasped as my body collided with the wooden ground, a groan of pain following afterward. My entire form ached with both physical pain and the pain of utter failure, and in my mouth, I could taste the metallic tide as my teeth dig deeper into the fleshy muscle I had dented through accidental biting.

“Hina!” Mondo shouted, setting Mukuro down and speeding to my aid.

Sakura and Mukuro did the same, all bending and looking at me writhe in pain.

“…Hina, I’m so sorry…” Sakura said.

Mukuro frowned. “Yeah, same here… Can you stand?”

“Y-Yeah…” Placing both of my hands onto the floor feebly, I attempted to push myself back to my feet, though I tasted defeat once more and fell back onto the wooden surface, groaning in dissatisfaction and agony. “…No…”

The Ultimate Soldier stood up and glanced over to the Ultimate Martial Artist, folding her arms. “Carry her. We’re going to the nurse’s office.”

“We’re goin’ there?” Mondo asked. “What happened to it being not important?”

“Not at the time,” Mukuro reminded. “We can go to the nurse’s office now, and I don’t doubt Kirigiri’s checked there already, or she’s going to at the very least. Plus, we need to go there *now*. We can’t leave Asahina injured.” She stooped down to my level and took her right index finger under my chin, raising it slightly so that we meant eye to eye. “Yikes, that’s a nasty bruise…”

“Yeah…” Mondo said. “That was quite the spill…”

“…Are you sure you want me to carry her…?” Sakura asked, looking a bit upset, likely with herself.

Mukuro moved my head up slightly, which set off a pain in the middle of my neck, but I just figured it must’ve been another bruise from how it stung. “I don’t see why you shouldn’t. It’s my fault she fell, not yours.”

“If Sakura doesn’t want to, then I’ll carry her!” Mondo said. 

Mukuro shrugged haphazardly. “If you’re sure. No complaints, Ogami?”

Sakura shook her head. “None.”

“Then it’s settled,” Mukuro said, “just make sure you don’t drop her and all is well in the world.”

“Yeah,” Mondo said. He dropped to her knees and grabbed me by my torso. I could feel his coarse hands on my hips pulling me into the air, and when he did, encompassed, weak gale attacked my wounds, and my entire body blazed from the cuts, bruises, and aches had earned and I suppressed a scream, sighing instead as Mondo finally threw me over his shoulder, where I could lay semi-comfortably with a view of the ground below. “Let’s go.”

Mondo was the first to leave, hugging me tightly over his shoulder and the other two girls followed. We traversed the halls, to which I had grown accustomed to at this point and we made our way to the nurse’s office.

Eventually, we reached our destination, though my position helped to spare me from the sight of eye-destroying pink. I felt a sense of relief come over me but at the same time a sense of unease, and the natural fear of the unknown.

“The tapes are still there,” Mondo said.

“Well, it doesn’t look like Kirigiri or Ishimaru has come here yet,” said Mukuro. “That or they couldn’t get in… Anyways, that doesn’t really matter. Let’s tear through this.” There was a pause before I heard the servicewoman speak again. “Ogami, if you’d do the honors.”

The next thing I heard was a vicious shredding that seemed like it would last a while but was over in seconds.

_Woah, she cut through that fast._

“I’m finished,” Sakura said.

“Woah, impressive,” commented Mukuro.

“The hell?!” Mondo exclaimed. “That was more than impressive. She ripped three pieces of the stuff down and once, and police tape ain’t easy to rip!”

“It wasn’t a problem,” Sakura said. “If something as simple as police tape were to halt me, I wouldn’t be deserving of my title.”

_You’re the Ultimate Martial Artist, Sakura, not the Ultimate Criminal._

“Well, she is the Ultimate Martial Artist for a reason, I suppose,” Mukuro said. “Anyways, let’s go in. I need to observe the inventory.”

Mukuro opened the door, letting the rest of us in and we all entered. He set me down on a white featherbed where I could get a good look at all the nurse’s office. For a school nurse’s office, it was impressive. Shades of white and blue, littered the room, all blending and merging perfectly with each other and complimenting the tile flooring. There was an abundance of medical equipment, far more than in my old school—Asunaro High School—so much so, that it was far more suited for an actual hospital than a high school; then again, this was Hope’s Peak, which meant there probably was an Ultimate Nurse or Ultimate Health Care Committee Member before this cruel game took its course. It made me cringe though, I never was a fan of hospitals or injections, so the aesthetic wasn’t my favorite, but it was no short of astounding.

“Nice,” Mukuro said, walking over to a chest of drawers and beginning to scavenge them for anything useful. “I can definitely work with this.”

“This place is like a hospital,” Mondo commented. “Do you think Monokuma blocked it so that we couldn’t help ourselves and shit?”

“Good deduction,” said Sakura.

“It is, and it’s likely,” Mukuro stated. “I do find it hard to believe that the mastermind wasn’t betting on Sakura since he captured her in the first place, but anything is possible.”

“Hey, why’s the mastermind gotta be a guy?” Mondo asked.

“Simple,” Mukuro answered, a lopsided grin coming to her face. “Only men can do something this evil.”

Feeling another rush of pain throughout my body, I groaned loudly in agony.

“Ah, right. Sorry about that, Asahina,” Mukuro apologized. “I’ll get to you now.”

Mukuro removed her fingerless gloves and swapped them for a pair of surgical ones. Rummaging through the drawers, she finally found what she wanted—a medical kit and a needle filled with a clear liquid. At the sight of it, I tensed, kicking my legs feebly as I tried to move backward, away from the syringe.

“Not a fan?” the soldier asked.

I shook my head fervidly in response.

“That explains it.” Mukuro walked forward, idly waving the syringe within her fingertips. “I’m not a fan either; no one really is. Would it be better if you held Ogami’s hand?”

I nodded once more.

Mukuro glanced over to the martial artist. “You know what to do.”

Sakura nodded, making her way over to me. I watched as she walked forward, tensing up a bit as I knew, the nearer she came, so would the time to receive the injection. Soon, my right hand was held tightly within hers, and I looked up to her, our pair of blue eyes meeting.

“It’ll be okay…” she cooed.

I didn’t speak, I only simply bit my lip in response.

“Okay. Eyes closed, Asahina,” Mukuro said. “Think happy thoughts and don’t open until I’m finished.”

Instantly, I shut my eyes, preparing for the worst. I squeezed Sakura’s hand tightly and anxiously nibbled on my lip, quivering with trepidation. This was already terrible, but despite it all, I knew the worst was yet to come. The worst was a sting, that penetrated a layer of flesh, followed by a layer of muscle in my right arm, and when I felt it, I screamed, both in unease, and in pain, and the instinctual tenses of my muscles only heightened my agony.

“Hold still,” Mukuro pushed down onto the syringe. “One,” she counted, the intensity of my screams increasing, now just a notch below ear-destroying. “Two.” The pain continued, and my eyes shot open, and I was greeted by the sight of Mukuro pulling the syringe out of my arm. “Three, and we’re done.” Mukuro chuckled. “You’re quite bad at this.”

“I don’t like shots…” I replied.

“Speaking of,” Mondo started, “the hell did you put in her?”

“Morphine,” Mukuro replied composedly.

_Morphine?!_

“Morphine?!” Mondo exclaimed. “The fuck?!”

Mukuro shrugged unsympathetically. “It’s what we used to do back in the Middle East.”

“Yes, but morphine is a bit… extreme for the situation,” Sakura said.

“Eh, she fell from over six feet, possibly seven,” Mukuro said. “I only gave her a little bit, so she’ll be okay.”

I wasn’t sure if it was placebo or if the drug itself started to kick in, but my body started to feel numb, started from my right arm and it spread throughout my body like a desensitizing wildfire. I could only groan one final groan as my eyes felt heavy.

“She doesn’t look too good,” Mondo commented.

“Stop giving me shit, Owada,” Mukuro said, surprisingly calm. “She’ll be okay. Hey Asahina, just get a lot of rest. I’ll look after you while you’re asleep.”

Tired, I closed my eyes. I had taken a pretty bad fall, so I was tired from the expedition as well as the drug. In truth, while I was shocked that Mukuro had given morphine, I wasn’t too worried—though, it may have been the soporific itself. 

_I’ll adventure later…_

Instead of trying to fight it, I allowed myself to drift off to sleep. I knew the importance of getting my rest after all the events today.

* * *

**MONOKUMA THEATER**

Monokuma appears in a black suit with a white undershirt and black tie, slowly nodding his head from side to side, his familiar menacing grin on his face. “If there’s one thing I hate, it’s complainers! Those who whine and cry, and are just generally a nuisance. They don’t work for anything, and yet, they just sit around and complain and complain—whine and whine—cry and cry!” The bear pauses. “And the worst part is, they always somehow get what they want! That’s the absolute *worst* part about complainers! You try so much for something and the complainers come and ruin it because they can’t bother to try hard enough for that same thing and get it just as easily as you do! There’s no way that’s fair!” The bear pauses and then giggles sardonically. “But I suppose life isn’t fair, is it…”

* * *

My eyes flew open, tiredly, adjusting to the familiar hues of blue and white as I gazed around the room. I certainly could feel my body now, but the pain that lingered from the fall was still mildly there. I raised my right arm, only to see a fuzzy image, tan and white.

_Are these… bandages…?_

Soon, my vision came back to me, and what was on my arm were indeed bandages, wrapped around my arm several times. In fact, I had been stripped, only left in my white undershirt and blue jean shorts. 

“Oh, you’re up,” I heard a voice say, a familiar one—the Ultimate Soldier, Mukuro Ikusaba.

I sat up and was only greeted by a mild soreness, though nowhere near as bad as before I had slept, and my eyes darted across the room to the source of the sound. There, was Mukuro Ikusaba, sitting comfortably in a wooden chair—presumably brought from one of the classrooms, sipping on a cup of what looked to be bubble tea. Though I noticed she lacked her vest and gloves, and that there was a strange mark on her hand—one bearing a tattoo of the wolf.

I sleepily rubbed my eyes with my wrists. “What time is it?”

“Somewhere around three,” Mukuro answered. She set the bubble tea against the kitchen counter, picked up something that was wrapped in paper, and stood up, beginning to make her way over to me.

“Three? Have I been out for that long?”

Mukuro nodded, taking her final step and leaning over the featherbed and holding the item towards me. “Eat up.”

I held out my right hand and took it from Mukuro, lowering it to my face. Instantly, I was hit with a sweet smell, but not an unfamiliar one. My eyes lit up with excitement, and my mouth watered internally in anticipation.

_Donuts!_

I hurriedly unwrapped the paper, and held the donut firmly within my right hand, nearly slightly crushing its soft structure, observing the pink glaze at the top, and letting the wafting scent of strawberry icing hit my nostrils. And in seconds, all of it was gone—the smell, the texture—but the taste still lingered faintly in my mouth, after the entire donut had been devoured.

I sighed in satisfaction, a smile on my face as I turned to look at Mukuro. “Thanks.”

“No problem,” she replied. “Though, you probably shouldn’t eat that fast.”

“What are you kidding? I *love* donuts! The taste, the texture, everything!”

“So I can tell.” Mukuro sat down next to me on the bed, placing her hands on her knees afterward. “The search today, so far, has been… unsuccessful to say the least…”

“You didn’t manage to break the hatch?”

Mukuro shook her head. “Nope, though, funny story… We did get the gun to work, but the hatch itself is bulletproof, and… it reflects it… So, the big guy got some holes through his coat, and he got pissed to all hell. He and Ogami slammed some chairs against it, and if an anger-fueled Owada can’t break down that hatch, I don’t know what can.”

I was about to sink back into sorrow and self-pity, but then Sayaka and Sakura’s words played in my head, and I remembered that I couldn’t give up here. Too many people were counting on me, so *had* to try to find another way out.

“Well, there has to be a way out!” I said.

“I’m not so sure,” Mukuro said. “We’ll just have to see, but in truth, I’m tired… Ogami and Owada are still out searching… or bashing… One of those, definitely.”

“Do you all know where we’ll all meet up again?”

Mukuro began twirling her right index and middle finger within one of the longer parts of her bobbed hair which hung on the front-right side of her head. “Dunno, we didn’t exactly think that far… We’ll see them… eventually…”

_Wow… I didn’t expect her to be this disorganized…_

“Ah, I see…” I glanced at her right hand, the one with the wolf tattoo. “Hey, what’s on your hand?”

“My hand?” Mukuro ceased her idle hair-play and raised her right hand. “My right hand, right? It’s a tattoo. It’s from my old mercenary group—Fenrir.”

“Oh, cool,” I said. “What was it like being in the military?”

“You mean, a mercenary group…” Mukuro corrected. “Eh… That’s all I can really say about it… I don’t really like talking about it.”

“Oh, sorry…”

Mukuro waved her hands a bit. “No, no, it’s cool. Don’t worry about it too much. I used to get asked about it often since I was in that group from a pretty young age.”

“How young?” I asked.

“Uh, around twelve or thirteen?” Mukuro shrugged. “I don’t really remember, but I joined pretty young. Funnily enough, I was never injured. It may have been because they thought I was just some dumb kid that wandered into the battlefield.”

_Really?! She’s never been injured?!_

“That’s…” I paused, blinking a couple times. “Wow…”

Mukuro raised an eyebrow. “Wow?”

“It’s just, that I’d never expected that you would’ve never been injured.”

Mukuro looked up at the ceiling, and then back down to my to my sea-blue eyes. “Well, *never* injured is a bit unrealistic, I’d say… I *have* been injured, but it was a very rare occurrence…”

“Ah, okay…” I stretched a bit, throwing my arms to the sky, fingers intertwined, moaning in relaxation. I then pulled my legs to my chest and hugged them. “So, what’s the plan now?”

“Probably to sit here and rest,” Mukuro said. “I’ll meet with the others, but I can’t really do much with you. If I were you, I’d just sleep the rest of the day away, if I’m being honest.”

“Aw, no way!” I yelled. “I wanna help!”

“You can’t really…” the soldier stated. “I mean, sure you’re all better now, but that was still no easy fall. Maybe you should just stay here… though…”

I raised an eyebrow. “Though?”

“Nothing,” Mukuro said. “I guess you can come.”

“What brought about the change of heart?”

“Well…” Mukuro started, looking off to the side. “It’s about what Ludenberg said… about adapting. You see, she doesn’t seem too right in the head if I’m being honest. If she wants to stay here, I mean, more power to her, but she’s not me and doesn’t get to decide for me too.”

I nodded. “Yeah.”

“But, she’s a woman of lies, right?” Mukuro said. “So, I wonder if she’s plotting something is all. She could escape from her group and try something, and I’m not really for that, honestly. I wouldn’t want anything happening to you, or to be held responsible for it. I’ve seen betrayal and evil people before. I’m just sticking to my gut and staying safe.”

Mukuro’s words only served as a grim reminder of the harsh reality I had been thrust into—a bonafide killing game. She was right, though I hated to admit it, she was one-hundred percent correct. This was a place where I had to pick my alliances and those I trusted carefully. So with Celestia’s strange behavior, I knew I had to be wary, though I wondered what the source of it was? Being a woman of mystery, I wondered if what she was saying was the truth, a lie, maybe even something else to throw us off track? I couldn’t be sure.

“I wonder what made her like this…” I said aloud.

“Hell if I know,” Mukuro replied. “She’s got issues. I don’t trust her, and if the murders start because of her, I wouldn’t be surprised. All I know is I’m not going to be the fool that tries to be butt buddies with her only to find my head on a silver platter.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” I said. “Well, what about me?”

“What about you?”

“Well, you don’t trust Celeste, so what about me?”

Mukuro put her index finger to her chin, tapping it as she thought before she finally spoke. “You’re alright. I don’t think I have too much of an opinion. You’re kind from what I’ve seen. A bit fragile, maybe, but you seem like the type to have lived an alright life up until now.”

“I’m not sure whether to take that as an insult or be thankful…”

She chuckled. “Either or, really. You’re alright to talk to, Asahina. Usually, I just keep quiet or to myself, so it’s been nice to talk to someone one on one like this.”

A smile made its way onto my face and I nodded. “Yeah, it was nice talking to you, and learning your side of things, even if it wasn’t all that much. We can talk again sometime, right?” 

Mukuro swished her mouth to the right a bit before answering. “Eh, sure, why not. I don’t really mind. Anyways, we should get to exploring. Can you stand?”

I slowly placed my bare feet on the ground and felt a dull, but bearable pain. I then stood up, stretching a bit more. “Yeah, I can.” I took a couple steps around the room before walking back to Mukuro. “And I can walk too.”

“That’s good enough,” Mukuro said, walking over to the counter and picking something off of the desk.

“What’re you getting?”

“More morphine,” she answered. “I’m not risking getting attacked. I’ll put it back when all is finished, don’t worry. But if I need to knock someone out, this is probably the best way to do it.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be the Ultimate Soldier or something?”

“Yeah,” Mukuro began walking back over. “So? I’m not a kung-fu or karate expert, that’s Ogami. I’m good with guns, sniper rifles in particular. C.Q.C. was never really my style.”

“C.Q.C.?”

“Close quarters combat,” the mercenary. “I’m much better from far away. Don’t worry though, it’s not enough morphine to overdose and kill anyone. Simply enough to knock someone out.”

Despite Mukuro’s words, I had still felt a sense of unease. I didn’t doubt her, but my natural skepticism told me that not everything was as it seemed, and I should still be wary just in case. And even from the filled syringe alone, I had planned to.

I quickly grabbed by red jacket from a nearby desk and slipped on my socks and sneakers which were left near my bedside, and with one deep inhale and exhale, I prepared myself for another round of exploration.

“I’m ready,” I said.

“Alright, cool,” said Mukuro. “Let’s go.”

And with that, we left the infirmary, though, I was sure to stay behind Mukuro, letting her lead. As I traversed the halls once more, thoughts came to my mind. I wonder who had truly done this, managed kidnapped people like Sakura, Mondo, and Mukuro, who could all clearly resist. None of this made any sense.

It simply seemed like the more answers I sought, the more questions would come to take their place.


	12. The Me That's Not What You See

Mukuro and I walked, for what seemed to be hours—but it was simply minutes. My body ached with each step, but it wasn’t an unbearable pain. We analyzed the surroundings, sure to note anything that could be useful for our escape. But it wasn’t that easy. If we could have simply found an exit, we would have been long gone. Far away from this school; away from this prison.

We finally arrived at our destination—the exit, and I peered inside, searching for any sign of my comrades. To my surprise, there was no Sakura, but there was an anger-stricken Mondo, continuously smashing a wooden chair against the metal hatch, now bearing a few dents from what must’ve been over an hour of assault.

His face was colored a red to rival my jacket, the muscles in his hands, and all over for that manner, tensed fiercely as he brought the chair up again, before slamming it onto the hatch with another powerful swing, a loud clanging sound resonating throughout the room upon the moment of impact. I watched in awe as the chair legitimately snapped in half, and everything below the seat fell to the floor. In fact, it was so astounding, my eyes widened at the sight.

_Holy cow…_

“Fuck!” the biker gang leader screamed, throwing the rest of the chair to the ground. Eyes focused on the hatch, he grabbed a chair, ready for the second round of mass destruction.

“He’s been doing this for over an hour,” Mukuro leaned over and whispered, “maybe more…”

“Has he… always been breaking chairs like this…?” I asked.

“I lost count after eighteen,” she answered. “He’s been giving the hatch a damn good ass-whooping, but it’s still going to be days until he makes any actual progress…”

“Oh wow…” I whispered before speaking up to greet the enraged delinquent. “Um, Mondo… Hello…”

I saw Mondo tense up more, his grip on the chair tightening before he turned to look at me. “Holy shit, you scared the fuckin’ daylights outta me,” he said, his tone much calmer, though very clearly angry from the red in his face. “You feelin’ better?”

I nodded. “Yeah…”

“Uh, right on,” he said, before slamming another chair onto the hatch once more, another deafening _clang_ echoing throughout the room as metal met metal once more.

“Give it up, Owada,” Mukuro said. “You’ve broken like twenty of those things by now. If you keep going we’ll legitimately be out of chairs.”

“Twenty-six,” Mondo corrected angrily, before slamming another chair onto the hatch, a creaking sound emitting from the wood. “And we can just use desks instead.”

“Holy shit, you’ve been counting?” Mukuro asked, with a sly grin.

“Don’t get snarky with me!” Mondo warned. “Don’t think I forgot whose fault it is I have bullet holes in my coat.”

Mukuro sighed, her face going deadly serious, yet somewhat solemn at the same time. “I apologize, I have been a bit… lackadaisical during our investigation, and I’ll admit that a majority of things gone wrong are my fault…” She looked over at me. “You too, Asahina. My deepest apologies for your current state.”

“Oh… it doesn’t hurt too bad,” I said reassuringly.

Mondo raised the chair again and slammed it onto the hatch, another _clang_ resounding throughout the room. “Dammit!” he said, dropping the chair to the ground. He turned to face Mukuro, leaning against the hatch using her left elbow. “But hey, Mukuro. Thanks for that, I appreciate the apology. Though there ain’t much we can do about what’s already done. I’m glad you could man—er, woman up. So I can respect that, ya know.”

“Thanks,” the ravenette said with a small smile.

“Alright, we’re all on the same page now!” I said. “Now, what’s the plan, team?”

“Well, someone’s enthusiastic,” Mukuro said. “I still have no clue… Our search has been…”

“We didn’t find jack shit…” said Mondo.

Mukuro nodded. “Yeah. That.”

“I wonder any other team’s searches were successful…” I said aloud.

“We can only hope,” Mukuro said.

“Yeah,” Mondo agreed.

“‘It is hard to fail, but it is worse to never have tried to succeed,’” I said. “That’s a quote from Theodore Roosevelt, the twenty-sixth United States president.”

“Didn’t figure you the type to spit inspirational phrases.” Mukuro chuckled. “I understand what you mean though, you’re telling us to keep looking, even if we don’t really know what we’re doing.”

“Yeah, we won’t really get anywhere if we don’t try… So, we have to try!” I stated enthusiastically.

“I appreciate the enthusiasm,” said Mukuro. “I know you’re right, so let’s continue the search.”

“Hell yeah!” Mondo cheered. “Let’s do this.”

 

We departed, and eventually, we met with Sakura, who was in the dining hall with Sayaka during our expedition. They explained how Monokuma came to them to elucidate how the food restocks every morning, and thus we’d never run out of food. I thought this impossible, but then again I thought that everything happened today would be impossible as well, so while I was skeptical, I simply had to believe it for now, since either way I could do very minimal to change it if it were a lie. 

With Sakura joining us after that trip, we continued our search, running up and down the school, searching for an exit. However, the inspection wasn’t fruitful in the slightest. No matter where we searched, the result was the same—nothing. No matter which classroom we searched, there was no exit, only blocked windows, security cameras, and blackboards with obscene writing that reminded us of the situation. We had found an AV Room, and even though there was a sea of tapes and DVDs and multiples of monitors, there was not one laptop or computer which we could use to commune with the outside.

There was some sort of collectibles room too, one filled with all sorts of antiques and strange trinkets. There was also what looked like a gacha machine, though it seemed to take coins far bigger than any simple quarter. We searched there as well, but the result was the same—we found nothing.

The bathhouse wasn’t much better. We had met with Chihiro’s group there, and after speaking to them, we found out that they had the exact same results we did. But, I was no quitter. I simply reiterated the quote and encouraged both of our groups to keep searching, to which, we decided to split up and go our separate ways.

We walked for hours and hours, and with each step, my body ached more. Eventually, I just deemed it enough and asked Sakura if I could take a break and go back to the dining hall, to which everyone complied. So we made our way there for the meeting.

To my surprise, Sayaka, Makoto, Junko, and Kiyotaka were all there already, sitting at the broad dining hall table, conversing amongst themselves. 

“Hey,” I greeted as I entered. 

“Oh, Hina!” Sayaka said enthusiastically before standing up from her chair. “How was your investigation?”

“No good,” Mukuro answered.

I sadly nodded in corroboration. “Yeah, we didn’t really find anything…”

“The search was quite uneventful,” Sakura said. “Even though we found a way to operate the Gatling gun, it turns out the hatch is bulletproof.”

“Rather, I’m quite interested in how you’re doing,” Mukuro said, giving Makoto a quick glance. “I saw you get quite the bruise. I think that’s… not good. Do you want me to tend to that for you…?”

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Makoto said. “I’ll probably be okay, but… if you insist… Is the nurse’s office open?”

Mukuro nodded. “Yeah, though we did it forcefully. I’ll take good care of you.”

_Makoto, you have no idea what you’re getting into. Hope she doesn’t give you too much morphine…_

“Though, there is one thing that concerns me…” Kiyotaka started before pointing at me. “Hina, you look injured! All those bandages don't seem like they're for show!"

“Oh, Hina, I didn’t even notice!” said Sayaka, who gloomed. “What happened?! Are you okay?”

“Oh, that,” I said. “It’s uh—”

“It’s my fault,” Mukuro cut in, folding her arms. “It was a plan gone wrong. I rightfully take the blame, as I was the orchestrator.” She sighed. “I’ve said my apologies to Hina, and Mondo as well for putting some bullet holes in his coat, so… yeah…”

“Quite the apology, Mukuro!” Taka said enthusiastically with a smile. “You’re quite strong to admit your faults! Such bravery is admirable!”

“Really… it’s not all that impressive,” Mukuro said, her tone slightly more hushed than usual. “I just told them I’m sorry because the operation went defective because of me…”

“How can an operation go defective…?” I heard Junko say to herself softly.

“Yeah, and speaking of apologies, I think someone else owes someone here,” Mukuro stated.

Mondo sighed. “Yeah, yeah…” He turned to look at Makoto. “Hey, man… I’m uh, I’m sorry, for knockin’ the living daylights outta ya… That wasn’t cool, so… yeah…” 

Makoto scratched his head smiling sheepishly. “It’s not a big deal…” Makoto pointed his right index finger towards the pink bow wrapped around his head. “Though, this does look a little silly…” The lucky student chuckled. “Thank you though, I appreciate it.”

“That’s all well and good,” Mukuro said, “but Enoshima, when did you get here?”

Junko, who was currently resting her head on her desk, looked up. “Huh?” The fashionista blinked a couple times, her eyes slightly red, presumably from fatigue. “Oh, I must’ve dozed off. Hello, Mukuro? When did I get here? Pretty recently. Before Taka, but after Sayaka and Makoto.”

“I can verify that,” Taka commented.

“Hmm, well, what did you do for the time you were away?” Sakura asked.

“Searching,” the strawberry-blonde fashionista answered, “just like everyone else. And, I couldn’t find anything. I looked high; I looked low. The result was still the same. There was an AV Room—that was kinda cool, I guess. A whoooole bunch of other rooms…” Junko yawned. “Other shit.”

“So you didn’t find anything that we didn’t…” I mumbled. “That’s a shame…”

“Well, we can only hope that the other groups’ searches were more successful…” Sakura said.

“Though, Bandages,” Junko started. “You shouldn’t be standing. Come take a seat and ease your legs a little.”

“Yeah, Hina, come sit down,” Sayaka said. “And everyone else as well, come take a seat, there’s more than enough room at the table.”

Obeying orders, we all took a seat at the table. Conveniently, there were sixteen seats—enough for each one of the students residing in this academy. I wondered if this was intentional, but like everything else, that didn’t matter. Only one thing mattered now—escape. 

I took a seat between Mondo and Sayaka and placed my hands on the table, clasped.

“That’s *much* better…” I said, letting out a sigh of relief, as my poor legs were finally given the respire they deserved.

“Do your body still ache?” Sakura asked.

“Yeah, but not as much now that I’m sitting down,” I answered. “When we were walking for hours, it did hurt really bad though, but I’ll probably be okay after a night of rest. If the other groups don’t find anything, we have to search again anyways!”

“Search again?” Makoto asked.

“Yeah!” I exclaimed. “If we don’t find anything have to try again! There has to be a way out!”

“That optimism is nice, but I’m not sure if it’ll get us anywhere,” Junko said.

“But it *is* admirable,” said Sayaka.

“Quite,” added Taka.

“I volunteer to go with her,” said Sakura. “It’s the least I can do to atone for my mistakes…”

“I told you it wasn’t your fault already,” Mukuro reiterated. “You shouldn’t worry about it, really. If anything, I should come, and I will. Try not to feel guilty about it, Ogami.”

“Yeah,” I said, a solemn expression on my face to match my melancholy, apologetic tone. “It was my dumb plan anyways. So, truth be told, it’s all of our faults, but more mine than yours, so don’t worry… Please…”

One sigh and a nod, Sakura spoke again. “…Very well.”

“Yo, the hell are you guys talking about?” Junko asked. “Really, give us some context. I need to know how an investigation goes ‘defective’.”

“Where to start…?” Mukuro grumbled.

“Where indeed…” I said before sighing. I idly tapped my fingers on the desk, biting my lip, thinking of where to begin. “Yeah, okay. I think I know where to start. So, our group went to the classrooms—the one where I woke up. We didn’t find anything though, so Sakura suggested that we try to damage the hatch somehow. So, I suggested we make a totem pole, with Mukuro on top, me in the middle and Sakura on the bottom…”

“I see where this is going,” Junko commented.

I unenthusiastically nodded. “Yeah…”

“It went as well as you’d expect,” said Mukuro. “I didn’t get injured because Owada caught me, but for Asahina—well, let’s just say she wasn’t so lucky…”

“I’m okay now though,” I said, “promise!”

“Well, as long as all is well now I suppose,” Sayaka said. “…Are you sure you want to go investigating again tomorrow, Hina?”

“Yeah!” I exclaimed. “If we don’t keep pushing, we won’t get anywhere!”

“Nah, I don’t agree…” Mondo said. “Especially after a fall like that, you need rest…”

“That is true, Owada,” Mukuro said, “but time is of the essence.”

“Don’t worry, Mondo. I’m an athlete. I’ve done all kinds of sports other than swimming. I’ve run and jumped and all kinds of stuff with broken bones even. If this is *all* I have to deal with, then I’m sure I’ll be okay by tomorrow.”

“Ugh, dammit…” Mondo sighed. “I don’t agree with it, but you better come back safe…”

“You aren’t coming?” I asked.

“Nah,” Mondo answered. “I think I got some thinking to do. Gotta figure some shit out…”

“Hmm, okay,” Mukuro said. “Who’s going?”

“I’ll be going,” Sakura said.

“In!” I said.

“In!” Sayaka repeated.

“Yeah… In,” said Makoto.

“Out,” said Junko. “Like Mondo, I also have shit to do. I’m gonna sit in my room and take a niiiiice long nap after all the walking I’ve done today.”

“I thought as a model you had to stay in shape,” commented Mukuro. 

“Yeah,” Junko replied, “but I don’t need to walk *that* much. I’ve been walking up and down this dumb school for hours on end.”

“Fair,” said Mukuro. “So—myself, Asahina, Naegi, Maizono and Ogami.”

“I think we should bring Toko as well,” I declared.

“Huh? Why her?” Mukuro asked.

“Yeah, Toko’s kinda nutty,” Junko said.

“You ain’t even going…” Mondo mumbled to himself.

“Well, yeah, why shouldn’t we bring her?” I scratched the right side of my face with my index finger. “Okay, well, yeah… I can see why. But, think about how she must feel. She isn’t the most… stable person and she was even a bit snappy when I first met her. I just get that feeling, you know? The feeling that she’s really scared about this whole thing. Having a group of friends around her would probably be for the best. So she knows she has people there for her!”

Sakura grinned proudly. “Well said.”

“It was,” added Kiyotaka. “Quite the speech, Hina. And respectable at that.”

“Damn, you gotta be so extra about everything, man?” questioned an annoyed Junko Enoshima.

“H-Huh? What do you mean?” Taka asked.

“You have a bad case of ‘No Inside Voice’,” Junko answered. “Like really, you can’t stop yelling.”

“And you can’t stop being weird,” Mukuro said. “You did cause the same poor boy you’re accusing to fall twice today.”

A wry smirk came to the fashionista’s face. “Hey, I told you I’m a bit of a wildcard already. It’s not for no reason for it, there *is* a reason, but it’s really generic. Not sure if I should tell.”

“Generic?” Makoto asked.

“Yeah, like—cliche and boring…” Junko answered, idly twisting her locks within her fingertips. “It’s probably not too smart to tell it in a killing game.”

“Yeah, but it’s not good to keep secrets either!” Sayaka said. “No one here will judge you, if it isn’t a big deal, you can tell us. That is, if it doesn’t affect you.”

Junko sighed. “Nah… Cornhair would snap.” She paused, giving a glance to Mondo, who looked more than agitated to have his hair insulted for the second time for the day. “Oh riiiiiiight, he can’t hit girls!” The fashionista laughed sleepily, only raising her head to cackle before quickly slamming it back onto the desk. “I’m a borderline sociopath, so I get bored with people and pretty much everything easily. It’s a lot more complicated than that, but last I checked the Ultimate Therapist isn’t with us.”

“Ah, a… sociopath?” I said.

Mukuro raised an eyebrow. “Ah, so you’re telling us you’re an evil cunt?” 

“Nah,” Junko answered. “It’s a lot more complex than just being an ‘evil cunt’. I think I’m more Chaotic Neutral if anything. I’m a good girl; I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I don’t murder people, don’t plan on murdering anyone, and I’m no liar. And I’m not blaming my actions on my mental illness or whatever, and think it would be dumb to do so, but I’m not awful either.”

“I believe you,” said Sayaka. “I’m glad you had the bravery to tell us that as well. It’s not easy coming out about those kinds of things. You’re trying to move past it, at least?”

“You can’t really move past it, but yeah,” Junko answered. “That kind of stuff is different for everyone. I guess I’ve been trying to be nicer to people I like, but some things are still instinctual, but I think that’s more the fact that I’m a bit of a bitch.” Junko chuckled. “You all are cool though, at least everyone at this table—and yes, you too Taka.”

“H-Huh… cool?” Taka paused before he wore the largest, happiest smile I saw him wear up until now. “Yes, you are cool as well, Junko!”

“Yeah though,” Junko pushed her mouth to the right a bit before returning it to its original position. “I’m not trying to be special, but I’m just trying to explain myself, I guess. Living in chaos is a lot more fun for me, but I don’t plan on going out of my way to cause it—not by a long shot. I’m not going to snap on anyone, and don’t plan to engage in the murders. If you don’t believe me, that’s fine, but the least I can do is hope that you keep your hands to yourself as well; that means you, Mukuro.”

Strangely enough, a smile came to Mukuro’s face—a small one, but a smile nonetheless. “Yeah, yeah… Though, my apologies, honestly. I didn’t mean to throw you under the bus and call you an ‘evil cunt’.”

“No problems there, homie,” Junko said reciprocating that smile. “It happens, and I don’t really mind. I’m used to it by now. I appreciate you though, you’re sweet. Kiss kiss, fall in love.”

“U-Uh…” Mukuro looked off to the side, an unusual light pink tint her staining cheeks for one reason or another. “Thanks…”

“This is so fuckin’ weird…” Mondo commented.

Sayaka giggled. “Yeah, I guess. But, don’t you think we’re all like one big family?”

“A very miserable one,” Mukuro said, her usual serious demeanor returning to her, but even then, it didn’t last long and she managed to crack a mirthful smile. “We can’t really be family though, we’ve known each other for a day.”

“If we are though, I want to be the crazy aunt,” Junko said. “I’m totes crazy aunt material.”

“I’m pretty sure you should be worried about that…” Makoto said shyly, with a hint of a joking tone in his voice.

The fashionista shook her head. “Nah it’s okay.”

“Though, one thing, Junko,” Sayaka started. “Don’t you have really low empathy? I hear that’s something you guys have.”

“Yeah, like my EQ is uh… eight, I think,” the fashionista answered. “No biggie though, I’m trying to work on it. That’s actually what I was planning to do when I came here. I wanted to try to talk to that therapist girl and get things in order, uh, what was her name…”

“Miaya Gekkogahara,” Makoto said matter-of-factly.

“Yeah, her!” Junko said enthusiastically. “Banana-haired girl, her, yeah. Gekkogahara. It’s strange for this to be a motivation, but I think I want to find a way to get better and stop acting the way I do about some things. I’m not a monster, so I want to see if I can find some way to move past it. Basically, even though I have all the front pages, and all the photo shoots, I want to become a better me—not just some me covered in mascara and make-up. I know that maybe some things may be harder, I guess, and some people think junk like that’s impossible, but I’ve been wanting to do something like that for a while now.” Junko grinned widely. “Hear me, praise me!”

“I won’t…” Mukuro said, “But damn… if that wasn’t admirable.”

“Incredible…” I said aloud.

“Absolutely outstanding,” said Taka.

Mukuro smiled widely—though, she could never match the nearly inhuman grin the fashionista wore. “You guys wanna clap, or?”

“I can do that,” Sayaka said.

The room erupted in the sound of clapping, and in that moment, I forgot about everything. I forgot about the kidnapping, I forgot about the death game, and instead, we just felt like simple classmates, like friends—like family, just like Sayaka said. The joyous grins painted on everyone’s faces, the happy, accepting atmosphere, the fact that we all simply seemed like a group of friends around the table. That moment was great.

But in the next, I was only reminded how this wasn’t the truth, and the temporary gaiety would end at a moment’s notice. But, that wasn’t a bad thing, it only fueled my drive to get everyone to work together as a group and escape.

We all deserved to get out of here.


	13. A Lack of Adaptability is a Lack of Survivability

As time passed, students eventually began to pour through the doors, either in their groups or by their lonesome. I hadn’t expected to see Byakuya, but somehow he knew to come, saying that Hiro’s group mentioned it to them and that he figured it beneficial to hear of everyone else’s findings. 

Eventually, there were sixteen of us sitting at the table, minus one Kyoko Kirigiri.

“It’s been twenty minutes…” Leon commented. “Where the hell is she?”

“I’m sure she’ll be here soon…” said Taka.

“What if she’s not?” asked Hifumi.

“She will be,” said Mukuro.

“Yeah, yeah, man. I believe them,” Leon said, hurriedly, his tone a bit quieter than usual.

Chihiro bit her lip. “You all don’t believe she’s…?”

“No, of course not…” Makoto mumbled, a bit unsure.

“Though, it’s certainly always a possibility,” Celeste stated matter-of-factly.

“Quit it already,” Junko said. “Your goth girl edge isn’t helping anyone.”

The gambler blinked. “Excuse me?”

Junko thinned her lips. “You heard me.”

Mukuro nodded. “I concur. It’s not really helping anyone to remind them of this death game.”

“Disagree,” the longer-haired ravenette said. “It’s quite beneficial. People must be reminded that they need to adapt to survive in this situation, do they not? Adaptation is necessary for survival, and this killing game is only a show of who has the best ability to do so.”

Silence filled the room for just a moment, but that it was soon broken when the fashionista groaned, threw her arms on the desk and her head on it.

“Oh my fucking God,” she said. “You’re more annoying than the porn-drawing fatso.”

“Such insults don’t bother me,” Hifumi said proudly, his voice modified to be a few pitches lower than his norm. “I am like Van Gogh ut—”

“You too,” Junko said.

“Come on, Junko that’s not very nice,” Sayaka said, frowning.

“Yeah,” I said softly. “Lay off a little, Junko…”

Taking her head up from the desk, Junko sighed a bit dejected. Her light pink lips curled into an awkward smile. “Oops, I did it again…” Her expression quickly changed to a disappointed frown. “Sorry about that, Hifumi…” She then grinned widely from ear to ear, as if her previous disappointment in herself had evaporated completely. “It’s an instinctual thing, promise.”

“Hmm? No apology for me?” Celeste asked.

“Nope,” Junko answered simply. “You brought that shit upon yourself with your,” Junko changed her voice to be a pitch higher and attempted to mimic Celeste’s accent, which she ended up doing somewhat accurately, “adaptability horseshite, I swear, a queen like me will get not much more than horse piss and cow feed in this school. Oh me, oh my, let us adapt everyone. I won’t look for a way out of here, instead, let’s all *adapt* everyone!”

“Guys, stop it!” Makoto yelled. “We shouldn’t fight!”

“Yeah,” Sayaka said in agreement. “Come on. We were so close before, we shouldn’t be fighting if we all need to work together. We all need some kind of cohesion if we’re all going to get out of here.”

“That would be nice,” the gambler said. “If only…”

The strawberry-blonde groaned with her lips closed. “Mmm, ‘kay. Fuck off. Just know that I really *really* don’t like you.”

“I see…” Celeste said, looking away from the fashionista. She placed her hands on her chest and sighed to give that perfect ‘helpless maiden’ look. “Oh dear, very well then.”

Junko mumbled bitterly. “Cunt.”

“Alright, that’s enough out of both of you,” Mukuro said. “Mister Chairman—that’s you, Ishimaru—we should get on with the meeting, with or without Kirigiri. Let’s put an end to this since some people can’t act like adults, even in a dire situation such as this.”

“I agree completely with Mukuro,” Byakuya said. “This is nothing but vexatious at this point. I didn’t come here to watch two cretins ceaselessly bicker with each other.”

Junko gave Byakuya the finger, giving him the glare of a lifetime.

Meanwhile, Taka fiddled a bit with his medal before speaking. “R-Right…”

_Despite his talent, he looks completely out of it…_

“So,” Kiyotaka started, “I know Makoto, Junko, and Byakuya are still in the dark about this whole thing, so I’ll explain the system that we formulated. With the exception of myself and Kyoko, we all decided to go in groups and search all around this school for any answers or ways out. These groups were Leon, Yasuhiro and Chihiro, Celestia, Hifumi, and Toko and, Mukuro, Sakura, Aoi, and Mondo. Kyoko and I went alone, along with Byakuya and Junko… and well, Sayaka watched over Makoto who was—”

“Knocked the fuck out,” Junko cut in.

“Language, Miss Enoshima…” Taka warned. “But yeah… he was unconscious.”

“Who assembled these groups?” Byakuya asked, his arms folded.

“Kyoko did…” Taka answered. “She said something about it being for strategic purposes. Every group had one job, which all resulted in looking for a way out. That’s why most of the physically capable people were paired together, along with the people we’d expect have a knack for inconsistencies, which were Toko, Hifumi, and Celeste, as well as people we knew would probably have good eyes, which were Leon, Hiro, and Chihiro…”

“Fair enough,” Byakuya said. “Quite the solid plan. So, what did everyone find?”

“Well, I made an important discovery,” Taka started. “I discovered that there was one room for everyone in this ‘Despair Hotel’!”

“Well, yeah,” I said. “I figured that out before anything else…”

“Each room has a nameplate,” Sayaka said, “and from what Monokuma’s said when he gave me the keys, all the rooms are assigned already.”

“And each room key is attached to a keychain with the owner’s name precision-etched into it,” added Sakura.

“Oh, and Chihiro and I found out the rooms were completely soundproof…” Leon said. “I was screaming and shit and she and Hiro couldn’t hear a damn thing…” He coughed a couple of times, politely placing his hand to his mouth as he did. “Yeah… shit hurt my damn vocal chords…” he whimpered. “Can’t talk much, so may I please get a glass of water…”

“You’re excused,” Taka said.

Sayaka pointed to a doorway. “The kitchen’s that way, by the way.”

With a nod, Leon got up, coughing, and disappeared out to the unnatural void-blackness that supposedly the kitchen.

“Anyways, shall we continue?” asked Celeste.

“Right…” Chihiro started. “Each room had a private bathroom with a lock… Oh, but only girls’ bathrooms could lock!”

“Okay, so they got a bunch of rooms ready for us…” Mondo stated. “They’re assuming we’re gonna be here for a while…”

“Well, better to have than to have not!” Kiyotaka said passionately. “At least we don’t have to worry about surviving like wild animals.”

“B-But that c-can’t be all that y-you have to r-report, can it, Mister H-Honor Student?” Toko asked.

Taka paused, looking off to the side before yelling again. “That’s all for my report! Let’s move on to whoever’s next!”

Junko blinked. “The hell were you doing—?” 

“No,” Mukuro said sternly. “Stop. The moment you say it, you’ll start up something again. Togami, you’re next. What did you find?”

“I wanted to try and find some clues for who was imprisoning us here,” the Ultimate Affluent Progeny stated. “But unfortunately, in my entire search, I may no such discoveries. That’s all from me.”

“Really that’s it?” Taka asked. 

“If I’d discovered anything, naturally I would have more to say, but I don’t,” he replied. “Either way, I don’t want to hear anything from anyone whose greatest discovery was that the rooms had nameplates on them…”

“R-Right…” Taka said. “Understood…”

Mukuro nodded twice. “Alright. Cool. Continue. I believe next up should be Asahina, Ogami, Owada, and myself.”

_Mukuro seems to be conducting the meeting more than Taka… I wonder what’s up…_

“Well, we thought maybe we could find a way to communicate with the outside, so we started looking all over,” I said. “But… we didn’t find anything… Not a thing, sorry…”

“We went back to the main hall thinking we could do something about that giant hunk of metal,” Mondo stated. “But even with Sakura and me both, it wouldn’t budge. We hit it with desks and chairs, and nothin’… It was hard as like… metal…”

“Well yes, it *is* metal,” commented Celeste.

“Hell, I was able to use the Gatling gun and put a few in the hatch,” Mukuro said. “Let’s just say that didn’t go well. Asahina’s current state is my fault and the bullets ricochet off the hatch. I owe Owada a new coat.”

“Tch…” the biker gang leader sneered. “You damn-well do.” He continued, kicking his feet onto the table, “Anyways, if we’re gonna get outta here, it’s probably not gonna be through there.”

“That doesn’t matter though… We’re going on another expedition tomorrow,” I told them. “Anyone’s free to come if they want. We won’t stop trying to find another way out.”

“You’re all going again?” Chihiro asked.

“Aren’t you injured?” Hifumi questioned.

“Y-Yeah… But, even then I don’t think we can give up…” I said. “‘Whatever dangers of the actions we take, the dangers of inaction are far far greater…’ That’s a quote from former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.”

“You don’t sound too confident,” Byakuya said. “How did you get injured?”

“She fell from… give or take, about seven feet,” Mukuro answered.

The blond boy’s widened as if he just had a revelation. He looked at me carefully scanning my frame, his eyes moving up, then down then back up again. 

“Are you sure about that?” he asked. “Those injuries seem troublesome.”

“Yeah!” I said enthusiastically. “A thousand times yes, I’m not gonna give up just yet. How’re we going to get out of here if we don’t try.”

“Hmm…” He paused, his lips curving into a snide smile. “Very well then…”

“It’s not going to be just Asahina,” Mukuro said. “Myself, Makoto, Sayaka, and Sakura are all going to go as well. I’d be non compos mentis if I let her go alone.”

“Of course,” Byakuya said. “I hope you know what you’re doing, Mukuro. I wouldn’t be so sure of my abilities if it was my faults that injured her.” His sneer grew wider.

“No, I still am,” the short-haired ravenette stated. “I’ve got war experience, I have medical, combat and strategic training from my time as a soldier. What happened today was a mishap that from my doing. After today, I’ll be sure that variable is eliminated, and that we’re more than prepared in all regards to carry out this mission.”

“Hmm, just be sure to watch out then,” he said, the marginally-sinister smile he said refusing to go away.

Mukuro gulped and then nodded. “Of course.”

“We are not finished though,” Sakura said. “I shall tell you what happened next. It has nothing to do with communicating with the outside world, but it’s still worth worrying about. In both the school and the dorm areas, there was a set of stairs leading up to another floor.”

“Huh, really?” I asked. “This is the first time I’m hearing about this.”

“It was during those hours when you were unconscious,” Mukuro said. “Either way, you probably should’ve seen them. They aren’t hard to spot.”

I closed my eyes and thought about it extremely hard, attempting to recall if I had seen about what Mukuro was talking about, and sure enough, I did actually remember a set of bars that appeared to jail a set of stairs leading to a higher floor.

I pounded my left hand onto my right and smiled, reopening my eyes. “Yeah, I actually know what you’re talking about now! Those ones by the gym, right?”

Mukuro smirked. “Bingo. Anyways, that’s all from us. Our expedition wasn’t exactly eventful.”

“So, who’s next?” Byakuya said.

“Leon isn’t back yet,” Chihiro remarked, looking over to the kitchen. “I wonder if he’s alright…”

As if that was his queue, Leon strolled out of the kitchen, sipping on a bottle of water, eyeing us as he walked back over to his seat and sat in it.

“Speak of the devil and he shall appear,” Celestia chortled. 

“What took you so long?” Sayaka asked curiously.

The baseball player took one last gulp before setting the bottle on the table. “I was checking out the kitchen. The stock is really impressive, actually. A bit hard to navigate, but impressive. You know that cooking show in America? The one with the guy who yelled about the beef wellington and two other chefs as a judge as people try to cook to be the best chef?”

“Master Chef?” Makoto asked.

“Yeah, it’s something like that,” the baseball star answered with a smile. “It’s one hell of a kitchen, really. It’s overbearing. Everything you could ever want is in there—fruits, veggies, snacks, pastries; pretty much everything.”

“Your first time going inside?” Mukuro asked. “I would’ve thought your group would’ve gone inside already at lunch time.”

“Nah, Sayaka offered to make us all lunch, since we were a bit late.” Leon laughed. “Thanks for that by the way. It was great.”

Sayaka giggled in return. “Of course. I really enjoy cooking. I do it sometimes for the producers.”

“Oh really?” Leon asked. “What’s your specialty?”

“Chili oil!” the idol replied smiling enthusiastically.

Leon raised an eyebrow, slightly worried. “Wait… you mean like the condiment?”

Sayaka burst into yet another fit of gleeful laughter. “Just kidding.”

Kiyotaka cleared his throat. “That aside, what did your group find, Leon?”

“Well, for starters, we went up and down the school, double-checking the windows in all the hallways and classes,” the baseball player said. “We wanted to see if we could get any of those metal plates to come off. We didn’t have a wrench or anything like that so what happened was not a damn thing. We couldn’t get a single one to budge, not even a little bit.”

“There wasn’t any hope of escape anywhere…” Chihiro chimed in, a bit saddened. “The school really has been totally cut off…”

“It sucks dick, man,” Leon said. “I can’t even find it in myself to be scared anymore, I’m really just tired at this point.”

“It’s probably no big deal,” Hiro said smiling. “There’s also a bathhouse too, but you all would’ve seen that coming here. That’s where we met with Mukuro’s group. Also, there’s the nurse’s office, some kind of antique room, an AV room… Hmm…”

“Trash room,” Chihiro noted, beginning to count on her fingers. “Male and female bathrooms both inside of the hotel and out—public ones, meaning… Um… oh, and a laundry room too.”

“Can’t stay clean without clean clothes,” Hiro laughed.

“I only have one pair though…” Taka said. “I wonder if Monokuma will give us more clothes.”

“It’s more so I wonder what he won’t give us,” Mukuro said. “But, those rooms are good finds, guys. Is that all for your report?”

Leon nodded. “Yeah, we didn’t really find much…”

“Very well,” Mukuro said. “And last but not least, Yamada, Fukawa, and Ludenberg. What did you all find?”

“Well, if I’m being honest, I can’t exactly say we acted as one,” Celeste said. “Rather, we did *nothing* as one. We simply stayed in the gym the entire time. We aren’t exactly the kind to run around like a gaggle of junior detectives…”

Junko leaned her head on the palm of her right hand, angling it upward with her elbow. “Holy shit, you can’t actually be serious, can you? The hell were you thinking staying in the gym the *whole* time?”

“Well… it wasn’t the whole time…” said Hifumi. “You did see us for lunch, and we walked around the surrounding area…”

“A-And plus, it’s not like any of y-you invited us t-to come with you!” Toko snapped. “I blame you for leaving me out! It’s y-your fault!”

“Yes, but Kirigiri did assign you to a group,” Mukuro stated.

“And even then, common sense should tell you that you shouldn’t stay in the same place for a million hours!” Junko raged. “Like really, Christ, how did you all even pass the time? I would be ungodly amounts of bored by then! Either way, you should’ve just told someone if you wanted to go with them. I’m sure they wouldn’t have minded.”

“Hmph,” Toko huffed. “F-Forget it. Like I’d w-want to go anywhere with a dirty s-slut like you…”

Junko blinked, smiled malevolently, flicking her blue eyes between the writer and the soldier numerous times before beginning to speak, eyes focused on Toko as she did. “Ikusaba, permission to put this glasses-wearing piece of shit in her place?”

“Denied,” Mukuro said sternly. 

“Seconded,” Taka said. “Nothing good will come from that, Junko… We need to work together.”

Junko sighed in understanding. “Sure sure. Peace love and understanding and all. I know it’s not my fault, so I have nothing else to say.”

This caused a taunting smirk to appear on Toko’s face, and strangely enough, instead of snapping, Junko only returned it, smiling as unusually widely as she did after apologizing to Hifumi. In turn, the author jumped a bit, reduced to nothing but the mumbling, insecure mess she usually was—she didn’t even make eye contact any longer. Instead, she simply looked away and mumbled something inaudible to herself.

“Well, I believe I’m next,” Sayaka said. “I went and had a look around the dining hall… I found a fridge in the back of the kitchen, and it was overflowing with all kinds of stuff. Just like Leon said.”

The red-headed baseball player nodded in corroboration. “Definitely. I can confirm that.”

Sayaka continued with a smile, “Yeah, I guess we don’t have to worry about food, at least.”

“Sure, for now…” Hifumi said, lowering his head, downcast. “But even with all of that, there’s sixteen of us… How long will food even last…?”

“Y-You can just eat s-seasame seeds or something…” said Toko.

“Huh? What am I? A parakeet?!” Hifumi quizzed, shocked.

The pop star’s smile grew wider. “I don’t think we have to worry about it. All the food gets restocked automatically each day. At least that’s what Monokuma said…”

“Hmm, you saw him?” Celeste asked.

“Yeah, he came out of nowhere while I was checking the fridge, told me that, then disappeared,” Sayaka answered. “He was so fast. I can’t believe someone was moving him with a remote control…”

“A weaponized toy that can just appear out of nowhere. I’m not sure if we’re supposed to be afraid or not…” Chihiro commented.

“But everything was okay?” I asked. “He didn’t try to like, eat you or anything?”

“Um, what do you mean by that? Hifumi asked with a smile that showed his perversion to the point where he was actually drooling at what whatever he was thinking. “I mean, when you say ‘eat’, what kind of eating are we talking about here?”

“What the hell, fatty?” Leon boomed. “You’re acting like some kind of sleazy drunk dude.”

“Not like there’s a good kind of drunk dude,” commented Hiro.

Suddenly, a voice cut through all the chatter like a hot knife through butter.

“Sorry I’m late,” the voice said. 

It was a voice I had recognized. The one person who wasn’t at the meeting, but was supposed to be—Kyoko Kirigiri.

Fifteen pairs of heads turned to the scene as lavenderette waltzed into the room haphazardly, the room completely silent except for the clacking of her heeled-boots. She made her way over to the table and slowly pulled out the only remaining seat, which was between Leon and Chihiro and sat down, lapping her legs.

As if in a trance, Taka blinked a couple times before he quickly began his idiosyncratic yelling once more. “Kyoko, where have you been?! We’ve started the meeting without you!”

She only gave him a quick glance, not speaking. Instead, she just dropped a piece of paper onto the table in front of Taka.

Makoto, who was sitting next to him, looked over. “Huh? What’s this?”

“It appears to be a map of Hope’s Peak,” the lavender-haired girl answered.

“A map?” I asked.

“Wh-What the…?” Taka wondered, confused. “Where did you find this…?”

Kyoko scratched her head with her right hand. “It doesn’t matter where I found it…”

“It *does* matter!” Junko said. “Cut it out! I know you’re trying to keep up that whole mystery girl vibe, but *geez*!”

“Look, never mind that,” Mukuro said. “What does it mean, Kirigiri?”

“Just look at it,” Kyoko said, pausing to look up at the ceiling before looking back down to the table. “The building we’re in now is laid out in precisely the same way as Hope’s Peak Academy.”

Mukuro raised an eyebrow. “So… what you’re saying is that this really is Hope’s Peak Academy…?”

Everyone’s faces except for Hiro’s and Kyoko’s went grim, and the room was silent with fear and consideration. The same look was plastered on everyone’s faces, and I wondered if they were thinking the same thing I was; contemplating how preposterous this situation is.

_No…? It can’t be… How does that make sense? How does any of this make sense…?_

Kyoko spoke, breaking the silence. “Well, in terms of construction—yes. But it looks like it had a number of… strange renovations done to it…”

“Renovations…?” Makoto asked.

“I don’t know all the details yet,” Kyoko answered. “All I found were details about the first floor.”

“But then… this really is Hope’s Peak Academy… We didn’t get kidnapped and taken to some other place…?” Chihiro asked.  
`  
Despite how calming her words should've have been, her face showed anything but tranquility. She was sweating, and her eyes were puffy, welling up with tears.

“That’s so stupid it’s not even possible!” the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader shouted. “*This* is where the country’s future elite are supposed to learn?!”

“But, if this really is Hope’s Peak, where are all the other students?” I asked worriedly.

“Hey, come on, guys,” Yasuhiro started. “Let’s stop talking about all this… you know… negative stuff…”

“But aren’t you worried?” Makoto asked. “This doesn’t look too good…”

The sentence was in a voice was only slightly above a whimper, and I knew from Makoto’s face he was clearly uneased. Despite that though, Hiro only smiled, oblivious.

“Worried?” he asked. “What’s there to be worried about? I mean, this was all planned out, right? The people in charge of Hope’s Peak put this all together, right?” The clairvoyant laughed for a couple seconds before speaking again. “Man, if I got stressed every time something like this happened, I’d have ectoplasm shooting out of my mouth!”

_What exactly has happened to you that could make you think that?!_

Hiro continued with a wide grin, “Good things come to those who wait, right? So we just gotta chill and let everything work itself out!”

Celestia eerily laughed out loud, prompting everyone to look towards her.

“W-Why are you laughing…?” Toko asked. “W-What’s so funny…?!”

“I am simply happy is all,” Celeste said. “It seems that splitting up to investigate was a good idea after all.”

“Haven’t you b-been listening…?!” Toko snapped. “Looking around was a t-total waste of t-time…! W-We didn’t find a way out, didn’t find out who’s behind this! We still h-have no idea what’s going on!”

The gambler formed an ‘o-shape’ with her mouth and placed her right hand on it, not daring to break gaze with Toko. Frankly, she looked shocked, and I noticed Toko wasn’t too comfortable either, she fidgeted with herself idly, waiting for the gambler to speak and she eventually did.

“Huh, is it not crystal clear to you what is going on?” she asked. She paused, placing her hands on the desk, one atop the other, looking to everyone in the room, her eyes lacking… something. Perhaps it was the mirth they usually showed, but they had definitely changed. She continued, “It is perfectly clear we are imprisoned in some secret location, with no way out.”

“Jesus Christ, give it up already,” Junko said. “We’ve been here *one* day anyways. We have time to look more, we have more floors that we can get access to, there could be something there. It’s not too late. You’re not even being scary anymore. Hina says she’s going to look some more, so we’ll see if she finds anything else.”

“Is that right, Hina?” the gambler asked, looking over to me.

I slowly nodded.

She smirked. “Very well then. Just don’t be surprised if you find nothing and you ultimately fail. But, from what we know, there’s only one way out, and that is—”

“D-Don’t even say it!” Toko shouted.

“Everyone, calm down please!” Sayaka pleaded. “We need to stop and think about what to do from here.”

“All we can do is adapt,” Celeste said with a thin grin. “Adapt to living our lives here from now on.”

“Live here…?” Chihiro asked. “Are you saying we should just accept it…?”

“A lack of adaptability is a lack of survivability,” Celeste stated, her eyes going… different, again. “ Survival is not based on who is the strongest or the smartest. It comes down to who can adapt.” She chuckled. “As someone who has come out on top more than once, I have a suggestion.”

“Huh, what do you mean?” Mondo asked furiously. 

“Well, we all understand that we are trapped here,” Celeste said. “Which means we will be spending the night. However…” She paused.

“However?” Makoto asked.

“Well, you all remember the rule regarding nighttime, right?” she continued. 

“Yeah,” I said. “Nighttime is from ten in the night to seven in the morning, right?”

“Indeed,” Celeste answered. “So, regarding this nighttime, I believe we need to add a rule of our own.”

“What do you mean?” asked Mukuro.

“Going out at nighttime should be prohibited altogether,” the gambler answered. “The school regulations do not actually tell us to not go out at night, but I would like to make it official. The way things are now, every time night comes we will all start to get worried and anxious.” She paused again before continuing, “We will all be afraid that someone may come to kill us.”

“What?!” Sayaka exclaimed.

“If we have to worry about that night after night for who knows how long, it’ll wear us down in no time,” Celeste stated.

Sakura folded her arms. “So you’re suggesting we limit our activity at night as kind of a preventative measure.”

“Yes,” Celeste said. “However, unlike the other rules, nobody can be forced to comply. We all have to simply agree to follow it.”

“I see what you mean, and I can agree to follow it,” Mukuro said.

“On behalf of all of the men here, I agree to comply!” Taka shouted.

“Hey, you can’t just decide to speak for us,” Leon said.

“Anyways, I think we all comply. I don’t see why we wouldn’t have any reason not to,” Mukuro said, turning to look at Junko. “Enoshima.”

“Huh? Why you looking at me?” the fashionista asked, leaning back in her chair and folding her arms. “Yeah, yeah. I can agree to that.”

“So we are all in agreement then?” Celeste asked. “Good.” She giggled. “Well, if you’d excuse me…”

Celestia stood up and pushed in her chair.

“Where are you going?” Chihiro asked.

“It’s almost nighttime and I wish to take a shower before it arrives,” she answered. “So… goodbye.”

No one else had anyone else to say after that. Instead, we just watched Celestia stand up and leave, her heels clacking against the kitchen flooring as she exited as normal as ever like nothing had ever happened. She was just as lackadaisical as if she was at home.

And it sent a chill down my spine from how calm she was in a situation like this.

“So, I guess it’s pretty obvious where we go from here…” Hifumi said. “We’ll be spending the night, it looks like.”

“Adaptability…” Sakura wondered aloud.

“So, Mister Chairman,” Mukuro started. “What do you want to do? One person already left.”

“W-Well…” Taka paused, looking to the ceiling as if it bore the answers he needed. “W-Why don’t we call today’s meeting to a close?!” Taka’s volume increased into a shout. “As she said, it’s almost nighttime anyway! We can reconvene first thing tomorrow morning!”

“D-Do we really have to stay the night here?” asked a teary-eyed Chihiro.

“We don’t have a choice, Fujisaki,” Mukuro answered. “We won’t be able to go for long without sleep.”

Sayaka smiled at her, placing her hands on the desk. “It’ll be okay, Chihiro. But, you need rest, alright?”

Makoto nodded in agreement. “Yeah, we shouldn’t worry about it now…”

“Anyways, if we’re done for today—good,” Junko said, standing up and pushing in her chair. “I’m exhausted. You all should get some rest too now that we’re done. I’ll catch you all later.”

Sing-songing her last words, Junko left the impressive cafeteria, and one by one, others left as well, leaving just myself, Mukuro, Sakura, Makoto and Sayaka in the cafeteria by ourselves. 

Glancing at one by one everyone, I was the first to speak.

“So, did Taka seem strange to you at all?” I asked. “Like, he didn’t seem like himself?”

“I don’t think you would know what *himself* is yet,” the soldier answered.

“Yeah, but I think you get what I mean, don’t you…?” I continued. “He seemed out of it…”

“Yeah,” Makoto said. “I know what you mean. When I read about him online he seemed to be more… Like he’d have things in order… If that makes sense.”

“Yeah,” I said. “Something like that anyways…”

“Well, would you all like to form an alliance?” Sayaka asked.

The question was completely unexpected, and we all turned to look at her with curious eyes. 

“An alliance?” asked Sakura.

“Yeah!” the bluenette said enthusiastically. “Like, an alliance to not kill each other or anything like that.”

Mukuro raised an eyebrow. “Why the hell would we need that? It’s not like anyone here planned on it anyways, we’re all going to look for a way out.”

“Yeah, but it’s not just an alliance not to kill each other, but one to not kill at all, if that makes sense?” Sayaka stated. “It’s because you all are my friends, so I just think we should set it in stone that we shouldn’t kill each other, or anyone else for that matter.”

“This seems awfully—” Mukuro thought aloud.

“I know what it seems like,” the idol said, cutting her off, her face going grimly serious, “but this isn’t that. I’ve seen enough detective shows to know what you mean by that. I’m not going to ask you for your room keys or anything like that. I wouldn’t see the harm in it.”

“Yeah, Mukuro… It may be a good thing,” remarked Makoto.

The soldier simply shrugged, lapping her legs, though, strangely enough, I felt a kick at my feet and Mukuro give me a quick glance before turning her attention back to Sayaka.

“Yeah sure,” she answered. “I’m agreeing to something I wasn’t going to do anyway. Let’s do this whole alliance thing.”

“So, you’re in?” Sayaka asked. “What about you, Makoto, Hina, Sakura?”

“Yeah, I wouldn’t see why not,” Makoto said. “I don’t plan to kill anyone anyways, so I shouldn’t have any problem agreeing…”

“Yeah, me too…” I said. “I think this would be a good thing that we all agree,” I turned my head to look at the martial artist. “Sakura?”

“I have no problem with it,” she answered.

“So it’s settled then!” the idol said, her enthusiastic, cheery demeanor returning to her. “I think we should include Hiro into this as well.”

“Hiro?” Makoto asked.

“Yeah, Yasuhiro Hagakure, the guy who doesn’t seem to understand what’s going on,” Sayaka said.

_Harsh, but true…_

The idol continued, “I think it’s important we include him as well. He’s really nice and I think he needs to help, you know. Everyone in this alliance is going to look out for each other and make sure that none of us get hurt… or worse…”

Notwithstanding Sayaka’s high-pitched voice, those words sent a rocketed a chill down my spine. I didn’t want to think about what she meant by ‘or worse’, but I couldn’t fight it. That only made me want to be part of this alliance more, after all, we all would be promising to look after each other, and having Mukuro and Sakura as allies would be beneficial.

_Wait, why am I thinking this? No one’s going to kill anyone in the first place!_

That’s what I told myself, but my gut was conflicted. Celeste’s words had left an impact on me, and I remembered what she had said about adaptability—that it was necessary for survival. I balled my hands into fists on the table, sweat dripping down my face.

For once I felt… uneasy—more so than when I had entered into this place. Maybe I was still partially sure that this was a prank, or that I would find a way out regardless of what I was told. But the harsh reality was that I didn’t, and even though I was going to search tomorrow, part of me didn’t expect to find anything. It was worrisome, to say the least, but like everything else, I tried to force it out of my mind as best as I could, even if that was an extremely difficult task in of itself.

Surprisingly, Makoto was the first to speak up, ignoring Sayaka’s comment and giving me a perturbed gaze. “Hina, are you alright?” he asked.

I nodded, forcing a smile. “N-Never better…!”

“I for one, think that having Hagakure in our group would be a lovely idea,” Mukuro said in an extrinsic, serenading voice that was the last thing I’d expect to come from her.

We all turned to her, wide-eyed in a state of complete and utter shock.

“Are *you* okay?!” Makoto asked.

“Never better,” she answered in that same voice. “Anyways, is that all for today? Do you want a blood oath or something, Sayaka?”

“Why would we—?” Makoto started but was cut off by the Ultimate Pop Sensation.

“Huh, do you want to do one…?” Sayaka asked.

_Why would we want to do a blood oath?!_

Sayaka paused, placing her right forefinger to her lips and grinning. “You know, I suppose it wouldn’t actually be so bad, hmm?”

“W-Wait, we’re actually doing a blood oath?!” Makoto exclaimed, before sinking back into his usual, shyish voice. “O-Or are you kidding again…?”

“Huh, why would I be kidding?” she asked with that same grin, that was by no, no short of disturbing.

_She actually wants to do the blood oath?!_

“I mean… it was just a suggestion, right…?” Mukuro said. “Well, no… more like a joke, you know? I didn’t expect you to *actually* want to do something like a blood oath…”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Sayaka said, putting her arms down so that she could hold the bottom of the seat of the chair and pushing back against the floor with her feet so she moved backward. “I mean, it’s a crazy idea, but it’s something me and my group members did all the time. So, I wouldn’t mind doing it again, honestly…” She yawned. “It’s getting a bit late though, I think I may go to bed now…”

“Y-Yeah, of course,” Makoto said. “Enjoy the rest of your night.”

“I will.” The idol waved one last time. “Goodnight, everyone.”

“Goodnight,” we all said in unison, with the exception of Sakura who simply gave a dismissive nod.

“We should be going as well, Asahina,” Mukuro said.

Confused, I pointed to myself. “Huh? Me?”

Mukuro nodded. “Yeah. I should probably walk you back to your room since I’m the one who treated your injuries. I should make sure that you get there safe and sound.”

“Okay then…” I answered, getting out of my chair and standing up. “Goodnight then, everyone.”

“Yeah, goodnight, you two,” Mukuro said.

“Yeah, goodnight,” Makoto said.

“Stay safe, you both,” said Sakura.

With that, we left the dining hall and began walking to the segregated section for the dorm rooms. It wasn’t a long trek, and we had found my room with ease. It was at the end of the hall, next to Chihiro’s and perpendicular to Sakura’s, identifiable with my name above it along with pixel art of myself.

“So, here we are,” I said. “Did anything go wrong…?”

She shook her head. “No, I never expected anything to go wrong…”

“Then why—?”

“How’re you feeling?” she cut in. “Not physically, but with this whole ordeal in general?” Mukuro leaned against the door—my door, crossing her arms. “How you’re feeling about today—start to finish—you didn’t seem too hot back there.”

“Huh, what do you mean?” I said, biting my lip afterward.

She smirked. “You aren’t particularly hard to read if you haven’t noticed. Let me share a fun little fact with you. When you lie, your nose turns red.”

“Huh?! How did you notice that?!” I exclaimed.

She shrugged, and she bore a more neutral expression. “Like I said, not particularly hard to read. Especially since I’ve seen you scream in pain, and wince all day, it probably wouldn’t be that hard to pick up.”

“Ah… I see,” I said, looking off to the side. “So, that’s how you noticed…”

“When you’re a soldier in the field, you tend to notice those things. Especially with what I used to do. Did I tell you what that was?”

I shook my head. “No, you didn’t actually.”

Mukuro looked to the side, her smile growing slightly wider. “Well, the true reason I never got injured was because I was a sniper, used to have a good M21, called him ‘Mortality’, fun stuff. Had this poison I’d always apply if I didn’t get the shot right and boom,” Despite what Mukuro said earlier she spoke with enthusiasm, and zeal, but that quickly changed, when her smile contorted into the worst of frowns and her eyes went dark. “Saw a lot of faces… Sometimes I still see them when I sleep…”

“Oh, that’s a bit… sad…” I said, frowning. “Sorry to hear you say that, but you told me before that you didn’t like talking about your military life, so why are you telling me this…?”

“Huh? Oh, um, just something I wanted to get off my chest I suppose…” Mukuro nervously laughed, pressing her body harder against the door. She cleared her throat, continuing to speak. “It was just to tell you how perceptive I am; how I can notice small quirks or idiosyncrasies like that from how many faces I’ve seen, so don’t be surprised, honestly. That aside, I knew you weren’t yourself back there—I can tell even though, I can’t say I know ‘yourself’ very well, but… I wanted to tell you to keep on keeping on, you shouldn’t have to be super nervous, and we’re going to find a way out…”

I gulped, and instead of fighting it, I said the first thing that came to my mind. “And what if we don’t…?”

“We will,” Mukuro said, with a serious look on her face, she unfolded her arms and took my chin in her right hand. “Hey, look at me, alright? We’re most certainly going to find a way out of here, don’t doubt it. Promise.”

_Don’t make promises you know you can’t keep, Mukuro…_

Instead of voicing my opinions a second time, I simply nodded. “I… I believe you…”

“You don’t,” she said curtly. “There’s that same shade of red.” Mukuro let go of my chin and placed her index and middle finger on my nose. “You can’t lie to me, you know.”

Tears started to well up in my eyes, and I sniffled a couple times. “Sorry…” I whimpered.

The soldier let out a dejected sigh. “No, I should be to one apologizing, don’t cry, okay? You’re probably thinking that I’m lying to you, or that it’s something I can’t say for certain, and you’re right. I don’t have proof or anything, but the last thing you should be doing is crying in a situation like this. Someone will take it for weakness and you’ll be the prime target. You’re the Ultimate Swimming Pro, what about that trying to move on and not giving up hope stuff and talking about inaction you were saying earlier? Does that not mean anything to you now?”

“N-No, you’re right…” I wiped my eyes with the right sleeve of my jacket, though, when I took my hand down, I maintained the frown. “I shouldn’t be worried…”

“I mean, you should, but I wouldn’t feel bad about it.” She chuckled. “I wouldn’t be surprised if everyone else is in their rooms screaming and crying. Even if they don’t want to admit it, I’m sure Ludenberg’s words probably left a bit of a lasting impact on them. About adapting and the true harshness of this killing game. That we’re all playing for survival, and to an extent, she’s right. I’m just curious if she’s trying to jumpstart something by saying that. I’d hate for that to be the case, but I’m sure everyone is uneasy. She’s a tricky woman. She has to have something up her sleeve by saying that.”

“Do you think people would… want to come after me first…?” I asked, with slightly teary eyes.

Mukuro gave a confident, almost cocky smirk. “Well, that’s why we’re in an alliance, aren’t we? If they see you walking around with me and Ogami all the time, I doubt that’d make you a target. I personally, have no intention of killing you, or killing at all for that matter—that I can promise you. So, you wouldn’t have to worry about that. I wouldn’t be having this talk with you if I did anyway. Too much effort for what I could do much more efficiently with less time and less stress.” She paused, sighing. “Though, taking into account your state, I shouldn’t be joking about that.”

I laughed anxiously. “Y-Yeah…”

“Never really had to do this whole cheering up thing, so yeah…” She paused once again, looking around the hallway. “Though, I suppose it’s getting late. I should let you know though, that I’m not particularly trusting of Maizono. The way she brought the alliance thing up out of the blue, especially towards the people she knows could either be the most useful or most fragile and not at the meeting itself makes me believe she’s planning something.”

“Oh…”

“Not to worry you or anything,” Mukuro reassured. “I could be completely wrong and she could have our best interests at heart, even if she is planning something that she isn’t telling us. I was just trying to tell you to stay safe is all. You’re too good to lose.”

I nodded, a bit unconvinced about this whole ordeal. “Why… why did you come to talk to me and tell me this…?”

“Because, you’re too good to lose, Asahina. I said that before. Well, that along with other things… You *do* remind me a bit of myself during my time in my mercenary group, and I can pretty much read you like an open book anyway, so I know you don’t have wrong or bad intentions, and I, like I’d expect everyone else does, wants to make it out alive with no casualties. Sharing this with you—trying to not get you to be afraid. It all counts as that—towards the end goal. We’ll look for a way out tomorrow, but now, you should get your rest, alright? The later it gets, the less time you’ll have before you have to wake up. You of all people need it most.”

I nodded, a small smile naturally coming to my face. “Thank you… You shouldn’t have really needed to do this… But, I… I promise to work extra hard tomorrow, to make up for it!”

Mukuro smirked. “Hey, no red nose. Good on ya. Anyways, you should hit the hay.”

“Yeah, I think so too… Does this make us friends…?”

Mukuro placed her index finger to her chin. “Hmm…” She paused, before giving me one last smirk. “Comrades, Asahina.” 

And with that, she left, leaving me in front of my door, alone. I quickly took out my key and inserted it into the door, and with a satisfying click, and I turn of the knob, I saw where I’d be staying for the foreseeable future.

My dorm room was was fairly roomy with blue tiling and red, bucolic wallpaper on the walls which were visible immediately upon entrance. Looking off to the side, there was a door—one which presumably led into the bathroom which was mentioned at the meeting and a queen-sized bed in the middle of the room, made with a pink bed sheet and a single pillow covered in a pillowcase matching to the sheets. Also, immediately visible was the amount of exercising equipment that littered the room. It was all there—from exercising balls to resistance bands, as well as some items like swimsuits and sunscreen.

_Everything an Ultimate Swimming Pro would need, huh…?_

Though there were also those cameras and plates, that seemed to only add to my overall unease and amplified my fear. 

_They even want to watch me while I sleep... huh?_

I didn’t even bother trying to shower, instead, I just dropped myself onto the bed and closed my eyes, attempting to sleep. However, as soon as I did, those thoughts returned. Thoughts that made me sick to me sick to my stomach. I had horrible thoughts, thoughts of being murdered by everyone here, and they just made me feel worse about myself, about my situation—so much so, I actually started to cry.

_I can’t die here! I have a family to get back to! I have friends to get back to!_

I understood what Mukuro was trying to tell me—she was trying to encourage me to not give up the same way that I had encouraged her. But why was that so… hard. Why in times like these, I couldn’t find it in myself to keep going, to push forward, to hang onto the same hope I had attempted to embolden into everyone else.

But it probably just showed my true nature.

I knew I couldn’t give up—I knew it couldn’t—but it was just so hard. But, if there was one thing I was going to do, I was going to try. I was no quitter, and this time, even though I knew like I felt like I wanted to, I couldn’t.

I took off my shoes and my jacket, and then my socks followed, and I dropped to the floor, with my hands and toes being the only thing preventing my face from crashing into the floor and I pushed back up.

_One._

My body was in utter turmoil from the wounds and the bruises, but that didn’t stop me, I dropped and then did the action again.

_Two._

I broke a sweat, not a regular occurrence, but the pain and adrenaline helped with those thoughts, even though they hadn’t been completely vanquished, I wanted to keep going. I repeated the action, letting out a sigh.

_Three._

This all hurt too badly, but I couldn’t stop. I knew I had to keep pushing, to keep distracting myself from this reality, even if it was just a temporary illusion to maintain my sanity, I had to; the last thing I’d want would be to go mad anyway.

_Four…_

My breathing increased and my heart pounded, even from doing four simple push-ups, I felt completely exhausted.

_I’m normally used to doing fifty of these…_

I stood up and hopped into bed, covered in sweat, tears, and pain, but that was the reality I was thrust into. My body ached so bad and my heart was beating so fast that I couldn’t even try to think about it, I only thought about the immense pain I was in—or made an active effort to do so at least, and before I knew it, adrenaline turned to fatigue, and I quickly let exhaustion take it’s hold on me, where I fell asleep within minutes with the grimmest of frowns on my face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Okay, yeah, I noticed the length of this one for sure. I was actually considering splitting it into two or three different chapters, but I felt that this way, it probably worked better for impact so that it'd lack the pause before the next chapter came out as a continuation, which is basically my explanation for the length.


	14. Capricious Familiarity

* * *

****

**MONOKUMA THEATER**

A once black and white scene fades in with color, the only thing unchanging being the black and white bear who embodied all that could be considered as ominous. He slowly swings his head from side to side, clad in a peach suit and red tie, sitting down on the ground and surrounded by many scented candles in a variety of colors. All seeming to mix-match their aroma, creating a wafting harmonious discord of a scent.

“Hey, howdy, hello!” the bear starts. “Now it seems like the killing game has officially started! There are so many interesting characters to watch cower, scream, shriek in fear… in despair…” Pausing, the bear giggles. “But, since it’s a theme so far, let me tell you about the thing I hate the most!” At that sentence, Monokuma’s voice grows menacing. “I absolutely cannot stand *liars*! Those who throw out falsehoods, pretending to be genuine when they’re not! Those people tend to be the absolute worst! Don’t know you know, you can be robbed of everything by a liar! Someone can lie and say they love you when they truly don’t mean it! How about getting cheated out of a business deal—out of money needed for your family—by stinking, putrid lies!” Monokuma is physically sweating at this point, steam coming from his ears and his face is a few twinges pinker than usual. Huffing, he attempts to calm down. It takes him a good couple seconds before he can speak again, continuing to slowly nod his head from side to side. “The worst part is, these dishonest people tend to thrive in society… And, worst of all, the honest people are punished… Puhuhu… I wonder if that’ll be the same in this killing game…”

* * *

_Ding Dong! Bing Bong!_

“Good morning, everyone! It is now seven AM, and nighttime is officially over! Time to rise and shine! Get ready to greet another beee-yutiful day!”

I groaned, tossing and turning in my bed. Thanks to that morning announcement, the spell of slumber was broken, and I was thrust into the treachery of morning, though, with the lack of windows there was no way to know for sure. Slowly, I opened my eyes, looking around the room, part of me hoping what had happened yesterday was a nightmare, but in my heart, I knew it wasn’t, and my vision only served to verify that reality.

Around me, was not my familiar room, walls painted a provincial ocean-blue, but a haunting rustic red color instead, and around the room was not my usual exercise equipment, only unfamiliar tools of bodily torture that I was supposed to use simply because of my talent, like I was an experiment—like being blessed with an ‘Ultimate talent’ was a curse masked as some sort of reward, or blessing.

This was just all wrong.

_Quite the nihilist, Aoi. Never knew you were the type._

Those were my thoughts as I sat up, sleepily rubbing my eyes and looking off to the plain-white bathroom door.

_I need a shower._

I stood up, stretching my arms over my head, and proceeding to make a beeline for the bathroom. I twisted the lock, not realizing what was said earlier at the meeting.

_Oh right, girls’ bathrooms have locks._

Sighing, I unlocked the door, and after a satisfying click with the turn of the knob, it opened, and inside was a simple white bathroom, with matching tiling and slightly-aged walls. Obviously, it stocked all the necessities—a toilet, toilet paper, a sink, a shower with a removable shower head. The usual. For an extraordinary school like Hope’s Peak Academy, it was simply a normal bathroom.

I stripped down to nothing, haphazardly throwing my clothes to random areas around the room and stepped in, turning on the shower and letting the water cleanse me. It was soothings; the monotonous _patters_ against the floor and the heavy, heated steam eased me a little, so I remained in the shower, letting the grime and dirt flee from me.

Minutes later, I decided I was finished, and with one swift turn of the shower handle, the water ceased and I stepped out, lazily grabbing a towel and drying myself with it. My thoughts wandered to all sorts of things, both good and bad, and even though I was thankful for the new friends I made, nothing could change the quixotic nightmare of this academy turned battle royale.

I sighed, hanging the towel back onto the rack where I had received it from and went to redress myself until…

“Hello! Hello!” a near-ear-splitting voice from behind me greeted.

I shrieked, quickly covering my breasts with my arms and flicked around on my heel, only to see Monokuma, who had done his famous appearing act once more.

“What are you doing in my bathroom?!” I screamed. “Get out!”

The bear heckled me with sinister sniggers. “It’s not your bathroom you know,” he said, dragging out the final word like molasses. “It’s Hope’s Peak’s! And *I’m* the headmaster, meaning it’s technically *my* bathroom!”

“You’re not, and I don’t care! Just get out!” I demanded, my voice taking on a higher pitch.

“Fine, fine,” Monokuma conceded. “It’s not like I was trying to see my students naked anyways. Just know you’ll be a dirty girl if you wear the same clothes twice a day. I’ve provided more of the outfit that you came here within your drawers, as well as one swimsuit to use at your discretion.”

“At my discretion? What do you mean by that?” I asked.

“Oh, you’ll see soon enough… Anyways, enjoy the rest of your day. So long!”

And with that, he vanished before my eyes—quite literally. I blinked a few times to verify the reality of what had just occurred, but it was all true. He was completely gone. I felt more disturbed than anything, and it left me in a quizzical discord of thoughts, but, that was apparent on my face as I went to brush my teeth with a blue toothbrush and mint toothpaste I had been provided with.

Three minutes later, I had finished and spat out the remainder of whatever toothpaste lingered, before ducking under the sink, washing my mouth, spitting and turning off the tap. I then stepped out of the bathroom, doing a quick glance behind me, to see if Monokuma had reappeared, self-conscious about myself; it wasn’t alien to see my ‘proportions’ spoken about online, and even though I had grown accustomed to that fact, it didn’t mean I had wanted the entire world to see me in the nude.

My next task, was rummaging through the drawers, and sure enough, Monokuma was no liar—it was filled with clothes. *My* clothes. Clothes that were identical to the ones I was wearing before, and they looked to be in my size too.

I questioned it for a second, but I shrugged it off. In all seriousness—this was the least strange thing that had occurred during my time here.

I got dressed, stretched one final time and headed out, not bothering to interact with any of the exercising gear. I wasn’t really in the mood for it this morning—an almost unnatural occurrence.

I stepped out of the room, taking a quick glance around the red hallway. It was absolutely ghost-quiet, with not a soul in sight. I wondered if this had all been dream a dream, so I pinched myself and felt very real pain.

_Not a dream… I must be either really late or really early…_

Putting my hands in my coat pockets, I traversed the hallways, glancing around at the rooms, and gazing at the little pixel art of everyone above their dorms as I walked, head into to the kitchen.

_Bump!_

“Ouch!” a boy’s voice said

“Ah!” I screamed.

_Thud!_

I had just butted heads with Makoto Naegi, the Ultimate Lucky Student, causing both of us to fall to the ground discordant manner. Immediately, Makoto sat up, and grabbed his head, writhing in pain on the floor, and I did the same, grabbing my cranium with both hands, rubbing roughly, yet slowly.

“Ack, sorry, Makoto…” I apologized.

“It’s… It’s okay…” he said between gritted teeth.

I quickly got to my feet despite the pain and offered my right hand, continuing to hold my head with my left. Offering a shaky smile, Makoto sat up and grabbed my hand, clutching it tightly, and using all my strength, I pulled him to his feet, and we stood face to face. It didn’t occur to me before, but strangely enough, we were actually the same height, despite him being a boy.

“We should really stop doing that,” he joked.

“Yeah…” I replied with a sheepish smile. “I guess we really should…”

We both laughed.

“Anyways, um, how are you?” Makoto asked. 

“Oh… I’m fine…”

It was only a half-lie. If anything, I was better than yesterday, which was a good thing.

“Oh, good, good…”

“So, you’re up early.”

“Yeah,” Makoto said, scratching his head. “I’m not a heavy sleeper or anything like that… I usually get up early because my mom makes me. My sister hates it though.” He chuckled.

“Oh, you have a sister?” I asked. “What’s her name?”

“Well, it’s Komaru Naegi,” he answered. “She’s in middle school right now, she’ll go to high school next year. She reminds me a lot of you actually, now that I think about it…”

“Huh? Like me? Well, we’ve only known each other for a day,” I said with a laugh.

“Well yeah, that’s true…” Makoto shrugged. “At face-value, I guess. She’s really energetic like you, and she’s passionate about a lot of things—mostly her dream.”

“Ah, dream?”

“Yeah, she wants to be a manga artist. She really likes shoujo. It’s a favorite genre of hers…”

“Oh well, good for her. Um, do you want to go get breakfast?”

Makoto smiled. “Well, that was the plan.”

“Together then?”

“Yeah.”

We walked off together, taking almost simultaneous steps, our footsteps echoing throughout the halls. There was really no soul in sight, no noise being made. Instead, it was just me and Makoto, by ourselves. It was… unnerving in a way, but comforting in the same sense. Though the silence was eerie, going with someone I trusted made me feel safe in a sense of ease.

Soon, we arrived, and my first instinct was to look at the clock.

_Seven o’ five. It’s still early._

“Ah, so we’re the first to arrive it seems,” commented Makoto.

“Yeah, it’s uh, just the two of us…” 

Nervously, I laughed, gaining me a concerned look from the Ultimate Lucky Student.

Suddenly, I felt a chill, though one surely not from the stale, stagnant air of the institution-turned-prison.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

“Yeah… Just a little, you know… Stressed is all…”

“Stressed?” Makoto put a finger to his chin. “Well, that’s to be expected, isn’t it…? Look at where we are now when we were promised something more than this… We’re going to explore later today, right? We’ll find a way out.” He smiled.

“Um…” I paused, offering a smile of my own, though, it was clearly forced—nothing but a mere facade to mask the truth.

And he saw right through it.

“Are you *sure* you’re okay?”

I nodded frantically. “Yeah, yeah! I’ve never been one to worry about stuff like that. We just have to do what we can, right? Then, we’ll easily find a way out, no doubt!”

“Well… just take it easy, alright…” Makoto said. “It doesn’t make much sense overexerting yourself like that… I know you’ve got a sports talent and all, but sometimes it’s necessary for things like this. You shouldn’t be trying to do too much, especially since you fell yesterday… Pretty hard too…”

“Yeah, yeah…” I agreed, a breathy sigh escaping from the confines of my teeth and pushing past my lips. “I will, just… gotta try…”

“Are you scared?”

The unanticipated question caught me off-guard a little. I blinked a couple times, gazing at Makoto and nibbling nervously on my lip.

Strange feelings came over me…

It was one of a different sort, completely contradictory to the ones I felt before. For what I knew, Makoto was a trustworthy ally—not physically strong, around my height, someone I could completely overpower if need be.

_Dammit, Aoi, why are you having those thoughts…_

I shook my head, trying to eject those lines of thoughts from my mind, I knew they would be far greater than any adversary here. Instead, I nodded half-volitionally, making sure my sea-blue orbs made direct contact with Makoto’s green ones.

“Yeah, I kind of am…” I whispered.

“Ah, I see…”

An awkward hush filled the room, unveiling true emotions. Sweat formed and fled from my skin as suspense, expectancy and anxiousness filled subjugated me, and the next feeling was a common one to me since yesterday. Fear.

I stiffened my body, sure to look Makoto in the eyes, searching for any true motive. “Um…”

“Well, that’s alright, I guess.”

“‘Alright, I guess’…?”

“Yeah, I mean, it’s not a bad thing.” Makoto shrugged. “It’s perfectly fine to be scared to. I was at first too—when Monokuma first talked about the killing game, I mean. I don’t think it’s a bad thing to still be scared. I just didn’t expect *you* to be scared.” Makoto chuckled to himself.

What…?

Needless to say, I was perplexed.

He didn’t expect me to be scared? Why?

I nibbled on my lip, letting out a soft, nearly inaudible, “Why?”.

“I didn’t quite catch that…” he said. “Um, could you speak a little louder…”

“I asked why… Like, why did you expect me to not be scared?”

“Well,” he started, “I think it’s the fact that you’re *you* if that makes any sense. Like, how you’re so invested in yourself and finding a way out. How you don’t give up. Stuff like that. It just surprises me that you’re afraid is all. You seem so sure that we’re all going to get out of here. Stuff like that.”

“Yeah…” Diffidently, I scratched the back of my neck. “That sounds like me, I guess… Sorry, I don’t meet your expectations or something… I’m not fearless…”

“No, no, it’s fine! I didn’t expect you not to be, you just seemed to be making the best out of what we have so far.”

I chuckled. “That’s all you can do, I suppose…”

“Yeah.”

“What about you?”

“What about me what?”

“Are *you* scared?”

“Not really.”

“Wait…” I paused. “Not really…?”

“I mean, I *was* scared before,” Makoto stated. “But last night, I did some thinking. I got to talk with Sakura, she’s really nice. She told me interesting stories about her clan and such and how she wasn’t scared because fear is a hindrance. I can appreciate that, so I took a page out of her book, and I’m trying not to be scared. Plus, we’re all in an alliance anyway. With Mukuro, Sakura and Sayaka on our side, we should be fine. Strategically, we have the two strongest people in the game working with us.” He chuckled. “Sorry, I’m not used to talking so much… But, I guess the moral of the story is that you shouldn’t be worried and everything will be fine regardless…”

I nodded. “Yeah, I guess…” I said, sounding a little unconfident. “Maybe you have your sister’s enthusiasm as well… Or, optimism rather…”

“Yeah, I guess…” he said. “It’s probably just a one-time thing… Sorry if it’s a bit awkward…”

“No, no, it’s fine!” I assured him. “We’re friends, right…?”

“Yeah, we’re friends… We haven’t exactly been lifetime buddies though…”

“That’s fine, we can learn! All we need to do is sit and talk with each other.”

He scratched his neck. “I guess we can do that. I’m not all that interesting.”

“Well, what things do you like…”

“Well, for starters,” Makoto started, “I like whatever’s popular at the time. That’s one thing my sister and I have in common. I don’t really have a favorite song, or movie, or anything like that… I’m sorry if you were expecting more…”

“Well, that’s okay… I suppose I should share a little about me then…” I paused, bringing my index finger to my chin. “Where to start… Well, I guess here’s something interesting… My name is Aoi Hoshi Asahina, and my mom is actually Okinawan. My dad’s a big fitness geek too, so he was the one who got me and my little brother into sports. We used to do everything as a family. We used to go on runs together in the morning, exercise together, play sports together. Stuff like that.”

“Well, I read online that you used to play a lot of sports. How many sports do you play?”

“Um,” I began counting on my fingers, “hockey, basketball, softball, tennis, triple-jump,” I switched to the other hand, “high-jump, relays, triathlons, soccer, American football, and the big one of course!”

“Swimming, right?” Makoto asked.

“Yeah! But that’s to be expected,” I giggled. 

Makoto’s eyes went wide, beginning to count off on his own hands, recalling all the athletics I had spoken about. “So… ten? Wow, that’s a lot, actually… I didn’t expect that much. That’s more like the Ultimate Athlete or something…”

“That’s what my brother told me too. I always thought that I’d get Ultimate Swimmer though. It’s… kind of worded a little strangely though—my talent.”

“How so?”

“‘Swimming Pro’,” I said. “It sounds like I know everything about the sport instead of just participating in it…”

“Well, maybe you know more about it than you think,” Makoto suggested. “That’s always a possibility.”

“Maybe,” I mused. “I guess that’s true…”

“So, you never touched golf or baseball then.”

I shook my head. “No, actually. I liked softball a lot more than baseball, and golf if you ask me… is kinda boring…” I laughed to myself.

“Hey, I like golf,” Makoto chuckled. “It’s a pretty interesting sport.”

“Maybe…”

“Anyways, Hope’s Peak has an ‘Ultimate Baseball Star’, and there are rumors that the school already had their eye on someone for golf. I think she’ll be attending next year… or… would of at least…”

“Yeah… it’s a shame...” I said. “Well, we’ll know soon enough when we got to the bottom of this…”

“We will…”

“So, what do you want to talk about now?”

Suddenly, the heard slight footsteps, slightly hushed, the steps uneven, like someone in a rush. We both hurriedly glanced around searching for the source, and the footsteps only seemed to pick up the pace, getting quicker and quicker.

“Toko?” Makoto asked.

Surely enough, there was Toko, as bewildered and unnerved as ever. Her glasses lay unevenly on the ridge of her nose, slanted slightly to right, and her purple irises expanded with the shock of being discovered—almost like a feral animal seen by an unexpected assailant.

“A-Ah,” the writer stuttered. “I-I wasn’t listening t-to y-your lovey-dovey c-conversation or anything… K-Kiss each other or w-whatever… I don’t care… I-I’m just here to get my br-breakfast and leave…”

Makoto’s cheeks stained a cherry-red and mine darkened with embarrassment, my brain attempting to concoct an ‘adult-like’ rebuttal to the current situation, but before I could speak, Makoto stuttered out what he had to say first.

“N-No, it’s nothing like that!” he shouted. “We’re just friends, honestly! We were just talking about things!”

Toko fiddled with her hands, clasping them and pushing the heels of her hand together and slowly pulling them apart again. “O-Okay… It’s not that big of a deal anyways… I-I was just g-going to get s-some eggs and go…”

“H-Hey, um, Toko… Why don’t you come and sit with us… I have something I wanna talk to you about anyways.”

I offered her a calming smile, attempting to calm her, but it only seemed to catch her more off-guard. Her cheeks flushed a light pink, and instinctively, she placed her hands on her chest, clutching at her collar.

“Y-You want to w-what…?!” Toko asked, bringing her hands up to her head and frantically running her fingers through her frizzy, purple hair. “Huh?!” She balled her hands into fists, pulling them, close to her chest. “I-I see… y-you b-both j-just want to make f-fun of me! A-And then t-try to kill me… by trying to become ‘friends’,” Toko drew out the word molasses, melted in a sarcastic tone. “Well, it won’t work!”

“Huh, no!” I assured. “It’s nothing like that… I’ve just wanted to talk to you since yesterday, and maybe… we could get to know each other?”

“Y-You mean, *you* want to get to know *my* weaknesses,” Toko rebuked. “H-How about no…”

“No, it really is nothing like that…” I said. “I just want to talk to you… Um, if you don’t feel comfortable then you can hit me or something and then run off!”

Makoto looked at me with concern, scanning me up and down, as did Toko, whose eyes widened as she subconsciously took a step forward, eyes scanning all directions as her puzzled brain tried to reason my request.

“H-Huh?! T-T-That doesn’t m-make sense…!” Toko declared.

“Well, maybe…” Makoto mused. “At the very least, you can tell she’s being honest though…”

“Yeah!” I said enthusiastically. “Let’s talk Toko! I’m sure you’ve got a couple good stories.”

“H-Huh…?” Toko blinked a couple times. “Y-You’re actually b-being serious…?”

“Yeah!” I said. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“W-W-Well…” Toko started. “I… I guess… I-I h-have some time… B-But I w-w-won’t answer anything I d-d-don’t want to!”

“I wouldn’t make you,” I said.

“Ditto,” added Makoto.

“A-Alright… I… w-want to get breakfast first though…” Toko said. “W-We have t-to cook it though, r-right…?”

“It would seem so…” Makoto said. “I-I’m actually kind of hungry myself…”

“So why don’t we all make breakfast together then?” I suggested. “As a group I mean… That and back home… I uh…” I smiled sheepishly, beginning to fiddle a bit with the collar of my jacket. “I can’t really cook… My mom does the cooking at home…”

Makoto chuckled some at that. “Really…?”

“Yeah!” I answered. “What’s so funny about that anyways?! Plenty of girls can’t cook!”

“No, no, it’s not that,” Makoto said. “My sister can’t cook either. I think that’s kind of funny…”

“Oh…” I brought my pointer to my cheekbone. “I don’t exactly get it, but, okay I guess… Anyways, can one of you cook?”

“I can,” Makoto said. “Well enough anyway. I can do it Japanese style.”

“I-I can too…” Toko stated. “N-Not that you’d care, b-but—”

“No, I want to taste your cooking too, Toko!” I said firmly. “I’ll taste it so, you better make something extra yummy!”

“H-Huh?” Incredulously, Toko pointed to herself. “M-Me…?” A light pink twinge overcame her cheeks. “You’re… You’re just saying that…” she said with a perverse grin and a voice only describable by the words ‘in a state of complete ecstasy’. “You really… don’t mean that…”

“I do!” I assured passionately. “I’ll be both of your taste testers you can count on me!” For emphasis, I gave a salute, fixing my posture so I could become as stationary as an effigy, my sea blue eyes burning with determination for the task.

“A-Alright…” Toko said, holding her hands in front of her crotch and lowering her head, mouth contorted into a frown uncharacteristic of the situation. “I-I’ll cook something… I… I guess…”

“Yeah, me too,” Makoto said. “I can’t promise it’ll be anything super great though…”

“Don’t worry about it,” I said with a smile. “Best of luck to both of you.”

 

Together, we entered the kitchen, and Makoto and Toko began observing the produce; there really was everything you could ever want in there, from fruits to vegetables, to meats, to cheeses. Even deserts! Oh, how I had lusted to taste everything in stock, but before I even had a chance to think of it, the room was filled with heat—the fires of competition.

Pans sizzled, and fires from the stove roared, and the wafting savory aroma dominated the kitchen as the two chefs got to work.

I inhaled the scent happily, leaning against the wall and relaxing as the two worked in utter silence. The only show of complete enthrallment in the craft was the sounds and smells.

Soon enough, the duo was done, and plated their dishes, walking back over to me simultaneously.

“Finished?” I asked.

They both nodded in unison.

“I… uh, I tried my best…” Makoto said.

“D-Don’t feel b-bad, she p-probably w-won’t even l-l-like mine…” Toko stated. “I-I… d-dunno w-why I even did the d-dumb bullshit in t-the first place…”

“Well, they both look great,” I said with a smile. “I can’t wait to taste!”

“Alright…” Makoto said. “We leave now?”

“I-It would s-seem so…” Toko said.

“Yeah, let’s go back to the cafeteria!” I said excitedly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Super sorry for the late posts. As of recent, I haven't been feeling well, and I'm far too tired to write these nowadays. I haven't given up, but I just don't have the energy most of the time. I'm trying hard, but exams are also coming up, so it's becoming more and more troublesome. I'm still going to try to upload as frequently as I'm able to, but until things settle, that may be a bit few and far between.


	15. Cynicism

We exited with haste, the pleasant smell of freshly cooked eggs and cooked meats following loyally until we reached the table long enough to accommodate sixteen people and all took a seat. The room was still empty, save for the tables and chairs, which was strange, since we all agreed to meet early in the morning. It was… troubling, but I didn’t deem it important. It was worrying, yes—but the possibility that everyone could have just had a troubling sleep was certainly there, though, a rare case, but one I wouldn’t doubt if it was true. Just in case though, I checked the clock.

_Seven-eleven._

I then looked back to the two chefs-for-the-morning.

“So, who’s going first?” I asked.

Instantly, they both turned their eyes to each other in a manner completely contradictory to the fires of competition in the kitchen, rather their gazes were left with all manner of quandary and uncertainty.

Makoto finally conceded. “I’ll go…” he said, standing up and making his way over to me. Slowly, he lowered the plate in front of me, and the aroma instantly hit my nostrils as I looked at the yellows and browns on the plate. I separated the pink napkin from the knife and fork, set the napkin in my lap and held both the knife and fork in the appropriate hand. Toko’s eyes widened as I did this, and I couldn’t really understand why. Did she not expect me to have proper restaurant etiquette?

I poked the omelet with my fork idly. “Ooooh, what’s this?” I questioned merrily. “It smells good! Care to tell the taste-tester what you made today?”

“Oh… um…” Makoto scratched his neck. “It’s really nothing special… I cooked an omelet and I put bacon on the side because I figured you’d probably like bacon…”

“There’s gotta be stuff in the omelet though, right?” I asked. 

He nodded. “Yeah, I put in some healthy stuff—it has cheese, ham and just a bit of baby spinach… Hope you like it.”

“Come on, Makoto! Be optimistic!” I cheered. “You were just telling me about that not long ago! It will probably taste great!”

“It’ll taste good enough, but I’m no Ultimate Chef,” he stated. “Anyways, I hope you enjoy.”

I nodded and poked the top of it with the fork, beginning to slowly slice off a piece of the omelet, bringing it to my nose and smelling it before placing it in my mouth and chewing. Though, my chewing slowed and I looked around the room and swallowed.

“So… how is it?” Makoto asked.

“Um… well…” I blinked, slicing off another piece, chewing and swallowing before answering. “It tastes… very boneless…?”

“Boneless?” Makoto asked.

“Yeah…” I answered. “That’s the best way I can describe it… It tastes… like plain oatmeal… I’m surprised that you put so many things into it and it still tastes like a plain omelet.” I offered a comforting smile. “Though, that’s pretty impressive in its own right! Er, that you can do that… I mean…”

Makoto chuckled. “Yeah, I guess that’s pretty cool, isn’t it…? Though, I’m a little disappointed… I expected something a little better though.”

“Well, it comes with practice!” I said enthusiastically. “The only way to get better at something is to keep going at it and never give up! So, keep cooking, Makoto! You’ll get there eventually!”

“I will…” he said.

“Come on! You gotta say it louder!” 

“I-I will!” he repeated, his voice slightly shaky.

I giggled. “That’s better!”

Toko, on the other hand, seemed completely out of her element, seemingly unable to unable to process the situation. She just sat there like an unnerved kitten caught in the rain, muttering something unintelligible with her fingers pressed together.

Turning my head to her, I spoke. “Toko, are you okay…?”

“H-Huh?!” The author asked, evidently not anticipating my question. “W-What do you m-m-mean by that?! I-I bet y-you a-are j-j-just laughing at me… T-That I’m *so* funny… I b-bet you d-don’t want to eat anything I ate earlier… B-Because I’m disgusting… W-Well, I h-had a bath this morning…!”

_Do you normally not take a shower…?_

“Where did you get that conclusion from?” Makoto asked.

“Yeah, it’s nothing like that!” I corroborated. “I didn’t think that at all!”

“F-Fine…” Toko muttered. “I-If y-you say so… D-Do you p-promise not to y-yell at me…?”

“I won’t,” I said. “I don’t see any reason to…”

“F-Fine…” she said.

Toko stood up, and pushed her chair in, swapping positions with Makoto who moved to sit in his own seat, folding his arms onto the table and resting his weary head. Toko’s eyes met with mine, and there was the slightest of movement in her irises we gazed into each others’ eyes, however the protective layer of glass seemed nonexistent, and to her, it probably was like I was staring right into her soul. Noticing this, I offered a benevolent smile in an attempt to pacify her, but I noticed her hands start to shake rattling the contents of the plates. Unknownst to me at the time, to her, we must’ve made eye contact for what seemed like an eternity.

“Are… Are you alright, Toko…?” I finally asked.

She nodded, mumbling something inaudible. “H-Here…”

I looked at the plate and then back to Toko, blinking. “Um, you didn’t really answer… Are you sure you’re—?”

“I-I’m fine…” the author cut off. “I-I-I said I’m fine!”

“Okay…” I said softly. “What did you make?”

“Omelet,” she replied. “I-I whisked the e-eggs with some m-milk, and put i-it in the pan with olive oil… I used ch-cherry tomatoes, sea salt, b-black paper, chives, chervil, a-and parsley…” Slowly, she set the plate on the table. “I a-already know y-you’re not going to like it…”

“I’m sure I will,” I said with a smile, moving the fork to carefully stab a piece of the omelet and slicing around it and putting it in my mouth. They both watched as I contorted my face in peculiar ways, looking between Makoto and Toko, who themselves, wore a look of confusion at my expressions. Then, I proceeded to swallow. “It’s good,” I said simply.

“You d-didn’t look like you like it…” Toko said.

“No, I did,” I assured. “It’s just… it’s a strange taste. Where I’ve come from I’ve never tasted such… um, unique? Yeah! Unique flavors.”

“U-Unique…?” the writer muttered with a frown. “Well… that’s a w-way to describe it…”

“I don’t she meant it in a bad way,” Makoto said. “I think she meant something closer to ‘exquisite’.”

“Yeah, like that!” I said. “I like what you did with it! I haven’t heard of most of the stuff you’ve mentioned, admittedly so, a lot of it doesn’t make sense. But, it sounds healthy at least! Which is good for an athlete like me. So, I’m grateful for it, and even though it’s full of veggies, it tastes really good. You’re a great cook!”

“W-Well…” Toko blushed, pushing her index fingers together timidly. “I’ll t-take it… No one has… e-ever complimented my cooking before…”

“I can’t believe that,” I said, smiling. “Surely your parents have had to have complimented you on it. It’s really good!” I continued eating, looking at Toko.

As if she had seen a ghost, her face went completely pale, her eyes dulled, and her lips pulled down on her face to form a frown. She looked at me before going back to her chair and sitting down, clasping her hands on her desk.

And like that the atmosphere of the room completely changed. 

_Did I say something wrong…?_

“What… do you both want from me…?” Toko droned.

“What do you mean…?” Makoto asked.

“Y-You heard me!” Toko grabbed both of her pigtails, pulling angrily. Her face had completely disfigured into something monster-like, her eyes reddening, subtle tears falling from them, and a trail of drool dripping down her chin. “W-What the hell do you both want from me?! I d-don’t get this at all!”

“There’s nothing to get…” I said. “I just wanted to hang out with you… I didn’t mean to cause any harm…”

“I *know* what you just meant!” Toko snapped. “I… I… I let my g-guard down and started to trust you both!” She sighed, standing up. “And now… I k-know it was a mistake… Especially in a killing game…”

“Toko wait—!” I yelled.

“Don’t follow me!” the author yelled, breaking out into a sprint and exiting the room, rushing past Mukuro, Taka, and Sakura who was all entered subsequently with a vile, guttural scream. All three of them paused in their steps and looked backward to watch the sprinting Toko with concerned expressions, Mukuro being the first to look back into our direction.

“Do I wish to learn the details?” the soldier asked.

I sighed, putting my hands on my forehead. “I don’t even know what I did…”

“Hey, it’s okay…” Makoto comforted. “You didn’t mean to do anything wrong… You probably just caught her off-guard with what you asked…”

“What she asked?” Mukuro questioned.

“Y-Yeah… All I said was I was surprised that her parents never complimented her on her cooking…”

“Ah, I see…” Sakura commented, nodding with a solemn expression.

“Yeah,” Mukuro said it. “May have struck something there. I have no idea what it is, but, maybe one of you should go talk to her?”

“I agree,” Taka said. “We can’t have the meeting this morning without her, and the others should be arriving soon.”

Makoto nodded. “Well… then I’ll do it. I’ll go see her, or find her rather…”

“And, if needed, I shall go with you,” Sakura said.

“Okay, sure,” Mukuro said. “You two can go. I wish you luck.”

Makoto gave a small salute, standing up and pushing in his chair before walking over to the doorway, Sakura following behind him. The two entrants remaining made their way to the table, Mukuro sitting in the chair in front of me, and Taka to my left, and I concealed my eyes in my palm.

“What’s this?” Mukuro asked, causing me to peek through my fingers at what she was pointing at.

“Oh, that’s what Toko and Makoto made,” I answered. “We had a little cook-off.”

“Well, can I have a taste?” Mukuro asked.

I nodded lightly. “Sure.”

Mukuro pulled both of the plates to her, along with the used fork before slicing a piece off with it and tasting it. Curious, I watched through my fingers. She tasted the first one without much of an expression, simply swallowing it, subsequently putting the plate aside and pulling the next one to her. She repeated the process, putting it in her mouth, and midway through mastication, she smiled, proceeded to swallow.

“This one’s pretty good,” she said with a smirk. “I like the herbs.”

“Ah, that one’s Toko’s,” I said. “I thought so too.”

“Hey Mister Chairman,” Mukuro started, slicing another piece of the omelet off, “want a taste?”

“Ah, I’d love a taste!” Taka said passionately. “Surely, the both of them must’ve worked hard on their dishes! I’d be an honor to do so!”

Mukuro held the fork to him. “Here. Don’t drop it.”

Carefully, he took the fork from within her grasp and moved it to her mouth, chewing carefully—probably around twenty or so times—before finally swallowing.

“It’s very good!” he said with a smile. “Toko is quite the cook!”

“I concur,” Mukuro said. 

“She probably would’ve liked to hear that if I didn’t scare her away…” I said, moving my hands from my eyes and placing them on the desk, resting my head on her arms.

“What’s wrong, Hina?” Taka asked.

“Nothing… I’m just upset that I scared her off is all…” I replied.

“Don’t take it so hard,” Mukuro said with a shrug. “You didn’t know. And, sometimes that’s just how things are. The world isn’t a perfect place, not everyone can have the same family dynamic you do. Implying that is the case after all.”

I shook my head. “I know that… it’s just… It’s just I can’t help but feel bad about stuff like this…”

“I think that’s appropriate,” Mukuro said. “Do you have friends like that outside of here?”

“One…” I answered. “Her name is ‘Umeko Nakajima’… She was a member of my basketball team. Her parents are divorced and she lives with her mom. Does that count?”

“I think so,” Mukuro said, subsequently pointing to the omelet. “Do you mind if I eat the rest of this by the way?” 

I shook my head. “No.”

“Alright,” Mukuro then looked to Kiyotaka. “Do you want any more?”

“Well, I want to taste the other one,” he answered.

“Alright. Here.” Mukuro slid the plate over to him, beginning to slice another piece off of Toko’s omelet.

“Ah, but, I need another fork…” Taka said. “I’ll go to the kitchen and get one, and then be right back! If anyone else shows up, inform them of my location!”

He stood up and politely pushed in his chair, making sure it was correctly placed under the table before subsequently strolling off to the kitchen. I watched him go about half of the trip before turning my attention back to Mukuro, who by now, had devoured most of the omelet.

“You’re… awfully happy this morning,” I commented, rewarding me a raise of an eyebrow from the soldier.

“What do you mean?” she asked, mid-mastication, swallowing before speaking again. “Sorry.”

“Exactly what I said. That you’re happy this morning… I would’ve expected that the mood would be more gloomy was all…”

Mukuro shook her head. “I have no clue why I would be gloomy. Well… *me* personally at least. I’m not really scared of any robotic bear, he just gives me the creeps. And a gaggle of untrained teenagers beating me in combat isn’t a prime concern either. The only person that would logically try to take me would be Sakura, and even then, I don’t think I’d be the best option for that. It’d be impractical.”

I laughed nervously, raising my head. “…Right.”

“Am I making you uncomfortable?” she asked, blinking, her mouth contorting into a frown. “Sorry. It wasn’t my intention. I truly don’t mean to do things like that.”

I gave her a soft smile. “It’s okay…” But, it was short-lived, and subsequently frowned. “It’s just… this ‘game’ is all… Yesterday I was really scared, but now I don’t know how to feel…? If that makes sense.”

“You’ve gotten over the initial shock. That tends to happen. Now, it’s probably a bolus of different emotions that you can’t pinpoint. That’s the deal sometimes…” She began cutting off another piece of an omelet.

“I’m sorry if I’m being rude… I… I just don’t get how you can be so calm about this is all…” I laughed sheepishly.

Mukuro blinked again, putting the final piece off the omelet in her mouth and chewing before speaking again. “Well, personally, I don’t think I will die… I think I’ll be fine through all of this, so I’m not worried. Even then, we’ve all agreed to look for a way out, right? You, me, Naegi, Ogami, Maizono, and Fukawa are all going to search, correct.”

“I’m not sure if Toko’s coming…”

“Right. Well, back on her for a moment. Your friend, Umeko, I believe it was… Sometimes things may be harder for her because of that fact, and she may not like talking about it. It’s probably the same with Fukawa.”

“I know that…” I mumbled. “I’m not a kid… I’m sixteen…”

“Of course. I know that… It’s just…” She paused. “I guess I’m not too good at this ‘casual conversation’ thing am I…?”

“You’re doing fine…” I said. “My mind’s just everywhere at once right now.”

“That’s to be expected… Well, what are you worried about the most?”

“Well, I was worried about Toko…” I stated. “Now, I’m kind of thinking about the hostage situation we’re in… So, I’d say that I’m worried about my survival right now…”

“Understandable,” Mukuro said. “I think that’s okay… I don’t think Fukawa will do anything rash, and I believe in Naegi and Ogami. As for your survival, do you remember the purpose of the alliance?”

“To stick together and look out for each other…?”

“To an extent, yes. That’s what Maizono said, but like I said, I don’t really trust her. I don’t think that you’re the type to talk about me behind my back either, but if you did, it probably wouldn’t make much difference. I’m not scared of her. Anyway, if you’re with me or Ogami most of the time, no one will try to fight you or kill you. You simply need to plan your routes. You can’t just kill someone here either, you need to get away with it. You can’t do that if you always have someone by your side. I think that’s Maizono’s strategy.”

“So… she’s using me…?”

“Not you specifically.” The soldier shrugged. “I have no clue what she wants, or what her strategy is. Either way, it’s suspicious to ask something like that out of the blue. Just watch your back around her, is all I’m saying.”

“Right…” I said. “What about you…?”

“‘What about you’ what?” Mukuro asked.

“What about *you*? You’re… being really nice… and I appreciate it, really, but wouldn’t it be the same kind of deal?”

Mukuro frowned. “Oh…” she sighed. “I understand… The best answer I can give is that I’m in my own head, and I just want you to survive… That’s all there is to it, despite us not knowing each other for very long. Like I said, maybe it’s a subconscious thing… It’s risky, but in my mind, I don’t see you as a bad person or,” she raised her fingers to make bunny ears, “‘fake’, so to speak. I don’t see any real reason why you’d be malicious, so that may be it. And, I’ll admit it, in this kind of situation, I know I need an ally. If we’re going to play the doubting game, it’s fine. We’ve known each other for a day. I understand why you feel the way you do.”

“After all you’ve done for me, you’re… not bothered?”

“No, not really,” the mercenary answered. “Part of me expected it. I’d encourage you *to* doubt your neighbor. That’s all well and good in this world—this reality we live in. Now that we’re here, don’t trust everyone you meet. You can’t do it on the outside anymore, and now certainly we can’t do it here. Remember, keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. Chivalry and longevity *do*, in fact, go hand and hand.”

“Um… what…?”

“Being nice will keep you alive,” she said with a smirk.

“Okay… Um, thank you… You… really don’t need to do all of this…”

“It’s my choice to,” Mukuro assured. “Don’t worry about it… I just hope I’m not making a mistake with this is all… Anyways, it always seems like we end up talking about something deep,” she chuckled. “If it’s not too much of a bother, I know I’m unfriendly, but perhaps we could simply chat about different things that we like sometimes. It helps to take your mind off of things.”

“Um, yeah, if you want!” I enthused. “I would like to learn about your life as a soldier, um, eventually.”

“Yeah, we don’t have to set a day for it. We’ll just figure that out in time. I just… wonder where Ishimaru is… he’s taking awfully long…”

As if on queue, Kiyotaka strolled out of the kitchen with a knife and fork in one hand, walking over to us and pulling out the chair gingerly and seating himself in it.

“What took so long?” Mukuro asked him.

“I was fascinated with the size of the kitchen! There is really everything you need in there!” He sniffled. “So large in fact, it’s hard to find everything you need!”

“So… you got lost…?” she asked.

“Yes… I-I believe that’s how you describe it…” he said.

Mukuro and I both laughed out loud at that.

 

As time passed, more people arrived and with everyone who was around at the time, they were probably no short of model high schoolers.

“Good morning,” Chihiro greeted with a smile.

“Morning,” Mukuro greeted.

“Good morning,” I said with a small smile.

“It is a fine morning, isn’t it!” Taka greeted with a boisterous grin.

“Sorry, I’m a little late…” she apologized. “I slept through my alarm a little… I’m sorry…”

“Don’t worry, it’s not a problem!” I said. “There’s no one really here yet, so the meeting hasn’t started yet.”

 

Then, there were the ones with a more relaxed sense of time. Most high schoolers fall into this category.

“Yo,” Mondo greeted. 

“Good morning,” Mukuro greeted.

“Mornin’,” I said.

“Oh, good morning, Mondo…” Chihiro said.

“It is indeed a good morning!” Taka enthused.

“Hey, everyone,” Junko said cheerfully. “Sorry for being soooo late. Today my makeup just *wouldn’t* cooperate!”

“Apologies on my part as well,” said Hifumi. “My morning duty took a bit longer than usual.”

A sly smirk came to Junko’s face. “You don’t have to tell everyone when you’re rubbing one out, you know.”

“W-What?” Chihiro asked, her face red.

Hifumi opened his mouth to speak but was quickly cut off by Mukuro.

“Don’t entertain her,” the soldier warmed. “Keep it PG.”

“Aw, but Mukuro!” she whined and pouted. “You’re no fun!”

_Yup. Same old Junko…_

 

Finally, came the ones who kept everyone waiting forever.

“I suppose I’m late,” said Kyoko.

“Good morning, everyone,” Celeste said sweetly, which rewarded an eye roll from Junko, but she ultimately didn’t speak.

“My bad, guys,” Leon apologized. “I slept right through the alarm!”

“I didn’t oversleep, just so you know,” said Hiro. “Nope! Got lost! I blame the Bermuda Triangle.”

“It intrigues me as to how you got lost with signs leading you to the area,” Celeste commented.

“He said he blames the Bermuda Triangle,” Junko said. “That *should* be enough.”

Celestia chuckled. “Very well.”

The fashionista just groaned and rolled her eyes again.

“Come on, guys. We shouldn’t be fighting. That’s the last thing we want to do in a situation like this,” I said.

Coincidentally, as I said that, Byakuya walked in.

“That is inevitable,” the tall blond said. “You can’t prevent that from happening. Especially in a situation like this.”

“It seems like someone has assessed the situation properly,” Celeste said with a smirk. “After all we only have one choice and that is—”

“To adapt,” Leon spoke, cutting her off. “We’ve heard enough of that from yesterday. We know already.”

“Anyways,” Taka started, “aren’t there still some people missing?”

“That’s true,” Hifumi said. “Where are Mister Naegi, Miss Ogami, Miss Fukawa, and Miss Maizono?”

“Naegi, Ogami, and Fukawa are covered,” Mukuro said. “They’re all with each other… As for Maizono… I wonder, truthfully.”

“Do you think she forgot about the meeting?” I asked, curious.

“I heavily doubt it,” Mukuro stated, looking at the time. “She doesn’t seem like the type. That, and it’s eight-thirty.”

“I agree,” corroborated Kyoko. “I would’ve expected her to be here by now. I got that impression from her.”

“Do you think she’s doing ‘girl things’?” Junko asked. 

“‘G-Girl things?’” Hifumi croaked.

“Yeah! ‘Girl things’! You know, like brushing her hair and doing makeup,” Junko said. 

“For this fuckin’ long though…?” asked Mondo.

“You can’t rush perfection,” said Junko.

A split-second after saying that, a _clicking_ noise was heard, growing louder, as the source neared and revealed itself. It was none other than Sayaka Maizono, who had quite literally run here, the sweat running down her brow.

“Sorry I’m late!” she apologized. “I got caught up in something…”

“Sayaka!” Taka shouted. “You’re late! Your tardiness is unacceptable!”

“I know, I know,” she said wiping the sweat from her forehead with her thumb. “What I was doing is just super important…”

“Well, what were you doing?” I asked.

“Oh, I was brushing my hair,” she answered. “I had some really bad bed-head this morning. It took a little longer than usual. That, and I slept right through the alarm…”

“So… she really was doing ‘girl things’?” questioned an unsure Chihiro.

“‘Girl things’ for an hour and thirty minutes?” asked Mukuro.

“Well, I did say it was really bad…” Sayaka raised a hand, running her finger through her silky azure-colored hair, smiling innocently. “It just took a little longer than usual.” She then turned to look at me. “You believe me, right Hina?”

_She’s asking me…?_

I wasn’t exactly sure how to feel. Mukuro’s words from last night had resonated with me, corroborating my instincts. I felt like she was using me. But, at the same time, I was unsure. She *could’ve* been telling the truth, and I didn’t want to burn any bridges.

_I hate how I don’t want to trust her…_

“Y-Yeah…!” I said. “Everyone gets bad hair days sometimes…”

Even though she was heavily suspicious, even though my instincts told me that I shouldn’t believe it. I wanted to trust her.

“I knew you would!” Sayaka cheered. “Come on, guys. It really isn’t that big of an issue… I know what you all are thinking, and it’s most certainly not that. Everyone’s here, right? I didn’t… well, you know…”

“Fukawa, Naegi and Ogami aren’t back,” Mukuro stated.

“And, Sayaka, you aren’t exactly helping your case…” Celeste said. “You are making yourself look awfully suspicious through your own actions.”

“So, you’re saying I *killed* them, and that’s why I was gone for so long?” the idol questioned angrily. “I didn’t even know they were gone!”

Celeste laughed lightly. “You wouldn’t be acting like that if you didn’t do something suspicious. Only then, would you have that kind of reaction.”

“Yeah, but you’re telling me that she killed anyone in the first place?!” Mondo shouted. “Look at her, she’s too fuckin’ dainty to!”

“Dainty isn’t a factor with a well-timed stab to the neck,” Junko said. “And, as much as I hate Lil’ Miss ‘Queen of Mind Games’ over there, I don't deny that she *does* have a point.”

“Couldn’t have said it any better myself,” said Byakuya with a sneer.

Sayaka’s eyes swelled with tears, her radiant smile exchanged for a woebegone frown. It was like a complete disfiguration. All I could do is stare in shock at what seemed to be like genuine pain, and it made me feel absolutely terrible.

“Okay, that’s enough,” Kyoko said, cutting through the discord. “We don’t have proof of anything, but I don’t think that Sayaka has done anything.”

Then, the hall went once more, as footsteps were heard approaching. Sure enough, it was Makoto and Sakura. But, they didn’t have Toko with them?

_Did something happen?_

“Hey, guys,” Makoto greeted. “Sorry, we’re uh, so late… We couldn’t get Toko to come out… at all…” He sighed.

“Indeed,” Sakura said, arms folded, looking slightly dejected. “It seems like the mission was a failure…”

“Welcome,” Junko said. “It’s better than being dead, like half of us thought you were anyway.”

“B-Beg pardon?” Makoto asked, eyes widening.

Mukuro sighed. “That’s a long story… We know she isn’t coming, so we may as well get on with it, Mister Chairman.”

Makoto and Sakura took a seat at the desk and the meeting promptly began.

“Alright, now that we’re all mostly here, let’s begin our ‘breakfast meeting’,” said Taka, leaning over the table. “Will anyone here inform Toko of what we talk about.”

“I will,” said Makoto.

“Well, then I’m glad that has been decided.” He smiled. “Everyone, thank you for making time in your busy schedules to come together.” That sentence awarded him with a few lackadaisical, but nonetheless, he continued. “I know I mentioned this earlier, but in order to get out of here, it is essential that we all cooperate with each other. And the first step, is this breakfast meeting, to allow us to build friendships and trust! So from now on, let’s all meet here, in the dining hall, after the morning announcement. Now then, let’s eat!”

“Wait,” I said, “don’t we need someone on cooking duty?”

“Oh, well, Sayaka can do it!” Leon said. “Her lunch yesterday was delish!”

We all turned to the Sayaka, who now bore the mark of dried tears, and tainted running mascara, pouting moderately.

“Not today…” she whispered, letting out a sigh. “I mean—!”

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Makoto said. “Nobody’s going to force you… If you want, I can just make some cereal and milk.”

“Y-You’d do t-that for me…?” Sayaka asked, her tear-soaked cheeks glistening red.

“O-Oh, uh, yeah,” the lucky student said.

“Oh, thank you!” Sayaka chirped.

“It wasn’t that big of an issue anyways…” Junko mumbled.

Makoto nodded, stood up and left for the kitchen.

“So, we’re looking for clues today?” Sayaka asked.

“Indeed,” Sakura answered.

“Ah, alright,” the idol said. “Did we set a time?”

“Oh, right, we need a time and a place to meet up!” I stated. “Hmm…”

“Trash room,” Mukuro said. “Around one.”

“Alright then,” I said. “We’re totally gonna do this!”

“Totes,” Junko said with a smile.

“U-Um…” Chihiro spoke up. “I just wanted to say… that I wish you guys luck.”

“Oh, thanks!” I said, beaming. “We’ll try at the very least.”

“And, I’m trusting you to report your findings at tomorrow’s meeting,” stated Taka.

“Of course,” Mukuro said. “Now, unless anyone else has anything to discuss, is that all?”

Silence filled the room as no one else had anything they needed to say or discuss.

“Very well then,” Mukuro said. “Mister Chairman?”

“Breakfast meeting adjourned!” shouted Taka.


	16. Baseballs Lost at Sea

After the meeting had concluded, I decided to return to ‘my’ room. It wasn’t though, but a temporary residence that was uncharacteristic of my personality and demeanor. And the wallpaper seemed to be a trompe l’oiel hiding away sinister untruths.

There though, I actually decided to take advantage of the exercising equipment provided.

I exercised.

Taking off my jacket and kicking off my shoes and socks, I tried to do all that I could. Pushups, sit-ups, squats, crunches, mountain-climbers—all one-thousand of each. 

It was a good enough method to pass the time, but needless to say, it was absolutely exhausting. My body felt like needles had pierced me all over, my heart beating erratically, pounding viciously as if attempting to battle against the confines of my rib cage.

I collapsed to the floor, drenching it further in my own sweat. I outstretched my arms and planted heavily, letting my eyes close.

_That was a good workout…_

I took a deep breath in and then tiredly and lazily exhaled.

_But I’m smelly._

I sighed, using the last embers of lingering energy that remained to push myself back to my feet. The pain was overwhelming instantly, but at the same time bearable. The pins and needles feeling I had felt during the exercise session had increased significantly, and it almost made me collapse to the floor instantly. 

Frankly, I was shocked by how badly it hurt. Maybe I overexerted myself a bit more than usual? I could normally do this. Was I weaker?

Lazily, I moved to the bed and threw off my jacket and t-shirt and plopped onto the bed tiredly, but soon after something unexpected happened, but something unexpected happened as I went to lie down.

_Knock knock._

The knocking on my door instinctively brought my eyes towards to source.

_Who could that be?_

I groaned, begrudgingly getting up and trudging my way through my room. In lieu of a shower, I had to settle for antiperspirant, so I sprayed it onto myself, taking a whiff under my arm.

_Better._

Subsequently setting the antiperspirant down on the nightstand, I made my way towards the door, my legs engulfed in all the circles of hell with each step, bringing a monstrous grimace to my face. Shakily, I reached down and grabbed the knob, twisted and opened the door.

It was someone I never would’ve expected.

“Leon?” I asked

“Yo,” he said, letting out a whistle as he gazed at me. “Nice abs.”

“Oh, um, thanks,” I said. “Hey, how’re you?”

“Good,” he answered. “You?”

“I’m alright,” I answered. “Just got done with a nice workout!”

“Oh, cool.”

This is a little awkward…

“So, uh, what do you need?” I asked.

“Well, I need you to help me out with something.”

“Help you out with something?”

The baseball player nodded. “Yeah. You and that Sayaka chick are friends, right?”

“Um…”

That was a good question. Were we friends? Or, did I suspect her of just using me? 

“Um?” he repeated.

“No, no, we are,” I answered. “Why?”

“Oh, well, I have a favor to ask of ya.”

“A favor?”

He nodded. “Yeah, a favor. Do you remember what I told you earlier? About what I wanted to do, I mean.”

_What did he tell me earlier?_

Then it clicked. “Oh, a singer, right?”

“Yeah!” he enthused. “That’s what I came into Hope’s Peak for, ya know before I get caught up in this shitty killing game.”

“Well, okay. I think I understand that,” I said, placing my right index finger on my bottom lip. “But, why do you need me for that?”

“Well, I was wondering if you could introduce us. We don’t really know each other very well, so I thought it’d be easier to tell you about it, so you could help.”

“Okay. So, that’s what this is about. I… guess I could,” I mused. “She’s really approachable though. I don’t think you’d have any difficulties talking to her personally. She’s really nice.”

“Well, I guess… You know she’s sort of like a superstar. I can’t just talk to someone like that. She’s super important, you get me? I’m kind of shy around her.”

“Yeah, but so are you… You’re the Ultimate Baseball Star. You’re a name known worldwide as well, even if it’s for something different. You have to remember that at least. That you’re Leon Kuwata, ace baseball player…” I pulled my hand into a fist in front of my chest. “You need to have some confidence!”

He glowered. “Yikes. I guess you’re right… It kind of sucks when it’s you’re recognized for something you hate. It’s like an embarrassing picture on social media. It’s kind of tiring after a while… I’m just doing this because they made me play…”

“They…?” I asked curiously.

“My family,” the baseball player answered. “My mom and dad were super strict with me playing baseball. But, they could never get me to, even in middle school. They made sure that I got to the games, but I’ve always found a way to skip practice. Especially in high school. I hate baseball with a passion.”

_Is it really that bad?_

“Well, aren’t you part of a team?” I asked. “I know I was kind of supportive of you quitting earlier, but wouldn’t you be letting your teammates down by doing what you’re doing? When you have a bunch of people depending on you, you shouldn’t let them down.”

“Well,” he started, “I guess that’s true, but at the same time, I’ve never really known many of my teammates. I never really got to know many of them, actually. Hell, I don’t remember many of my teammates back at L.L.’s names. I think they were kind of sour with me for earning my title, but it’s another opportunity. Plus, who likes running around in a dusty field full of sweaty guys anyways?”

My brow furrowed and I folded my arms. “Me.”

My response caused him to raise an eyebrow. “You play?”

“Softball,” I answered. “I don’t know Leon. The way you’re making this seem with how reluctant you are, have you ever considered that your teammates may have been mad at you because they were tired of your attitude?”

“My attitude?”

“Yeah,” I sighed. “Like not going to practice and stuff like that, especially when you’re the star player of the team. I know I’m probably not the best softball player there is—and to tell the truth, probably not the best swimmer in the nation either, probably only in high school—but when people are counting on you for something, you shouldn’t let them down.”

“What if you don’t *want* to be counted on,” Leon snapped, the anger clear in his voice as he spoke. “I never *asked* to play. I just played one game with my uncle when I was little and found out I was good at it. Music’s always been something I had an interest in, but I was complacent in what I was doing. Now, I’m sick and tired of it! I’m choosing to do what *I* want for once!”

Indignation filled Leon’s voice, as well as my thoughts but as much as I hated to admit it, he did have a point. I pondered his true intentions, but his lack of motivation towards his craft irritated me. How could he throw away his talent so easily? But, in the same thought, I was wondering why I was encouraging someone to do something that they had no interest in doing. It felt… wrong, in a way. But right in a similar way. Needless to say, I was conflicted. His happiness or his service as an Ultimate? It wasn’t for me to decide, but if I was in his shoes, I’m not sure which one I would choose.

I conceded. “Okay, I’ll introduce you,” I said quietly through gritted teeth. “When I’m finished with my investigation later today, I’ll talk to her and see if I can set up a meeting with her for you two. Not like it’ll be hard since I think she’s pretty flexible now.”

He grinned. “A meeting? Yikes, that makes it sound like a business deal or something.” A chuckle then pushed its way past his lips. “Thanks though, I appreciate it. But, do you wanna hang?”

“Hang out?”

“Yeah.”

“After everything that just happened?”

“Of course. I’m not mad about that.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I don’t see any reason to. Everything you’ve told me is something my parents, uncle, and cousin has told me before. Plus, I’ve never met a chick that plays before.”

“Wait… you want to hang with me because I play softball—which is close to a sport that you hate playing…?”

“Yeah!” he enthused.

“Dang, dude… I’m sorry, but I’m really… confused…”

“Don’t worry about it, it’s maybe a guy thing,” the baseball player said, running his left hand through his hair. “So, you wanna grab a bite? I’m sure you’ve got some stories.”

“I’ve got stories, period. Doesn’t have to be about softball, but either way, I wouldn’t mind sharing,” I began moving towards my jacket, grabbing a handkerchief from my face and wiping my forehead with it, “I’ll get changed quickly. I don’t stink, right? I can take a shower if you want.”

“Nah, you don’t stink,” he stated. “It’s all good.”

“Yeah, alright,” I set the handkerchief down and threw on my t-shirt, and subsequently my coat. “Whenever you’re ready then. Just wait outside and I’ll be there soon.”

“Yeah, gotcha.”

Leon stepped out, leaving me to my devices, meanwhile, I engulfed myself in another cloud of antiperspirant, making certain that I didn’t carry a stench. I intended to rationalize Leon’s motives, but I couldn’t. Maybe it really was a ‘guy thing’, but I wasn’t exactly sure; I didn’t plan to keep him waiting either. I didn’t spend much time thinking on it—maybe only about a couple seconds or so—so I stepped out into the hallway, and Leon was there waiting for me; with his back against the wall he acknowledged me with a nod.

“Ready?” he asked.

“Yeah,” I answered.

“Anything, in particular, you want when we get there by the way?”

“Donuts,” I answered. “My favorite food.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Did you not expect that?”

“No, not really… I actually expected you to eat super healthy shit? Like spinach.”

I grimaced and stuck out my tongue. “Ew, no! I hate spinach. The taste and the texture are just so… blegh! I’d take a donut over it any day.” I grinned. “The crisp on the outside, and the fluffy texture on the inside! The sweet flavor that just melts in your mouth like mmh! That’s why donuts are undoubtedly the best.”

“Wow, uh, you must really like donuts, huh…?”

“Yeah…? Is that bad…?”

“No, no,” he reassured. “It’s just that I’d expected someone with your body would’ve just been a super health freak.”

“My body…?” I asked, my cheeks slightly darker than usual.

“Abs,” he answered. “Like, I swear I can grate cheese on those things… They’re more than a little impressive, heh…” 

His cheeks took on a pink tint and noticing this, I nibbled on my lip.

“G-Geez, dude… You can talk to me this way when we just met, and can’t talk to Sayaka… like at all. Come on, I don’t want any boys flirting with me in a life or death situation. Or… kind of at all for that matter… That’s the last thing I came to this school for.”

“Ah, geez, why’d you have to kill the mood?” He scratched the back of his head. “No, though, uh, that wasn’t my intention. We kind of just met yesterday anyways, I don’t think anything would happen between us in that time anyway.”

“You mean at all… Come on, if you want to try that at least take me to brunch first…”

“Alright, sure,” he said. “Let’s go.”

We made our way over there, an awkward silence presiding over—not a word was spoken. We even refused to look at each other. In truth, I didn’t even want to make small-talk. I thought that Leon was kind of perverted… and that turned me off a little, and I was still annoyed with him, but at the same time, I wanted to get to know him. But, that gave me the entire talk to attempt to justify those thoughts.

When we arrived, I pulled out a chair and sat at one of the tables.

“What type of donut do you want?” he asked.

“Glazed,” I answered. “The best kind, of course.”

“Gotcha.” 

He stepped out into the kitchen and I sighed, clasping my hands and resting them on the desk, and my head subsequently afterward. My mind was a blank dissonance—an echo of nothingness. Too much was happening in my head, and it resulted in a mild headache—a normality at this point. He came back out, but I only noticed because of the sweet aroma infiltrating my nostrils, causing me to reveal my sea-blue eyes from the confines of my arms. I said a mumbled “Thanks,” and he nodded.

“No problem,” he said. “Anyways, I didn’t really have a plan, do you have any stories?”

“Depends,” I said, sitting up properly in the chair and taking the donut within my right hand, bringing it to my face and examining it thoroughly. “Which sport?”

“Any.”

“Alright… hmm…” I took a few moments to ponder to myself, idly nibbling on the donut before a light bulb went off in my head. “Right! How about I tell you about swimming at nationals?”

“Sure,” he said, leaning her elbows on the desk and cradling his chin in his palms, “I’m listening.”

“Okay, so it was the relays, and I was the last leg. You’ve heard of Misaki Nakano?”

“No clue who she is.”

“Okay, but she was on my team for nationals. She’s usually really good; she went to Asurano High, just like me! But, I think you knew that already. Anyways, she wasn’t feeling so good that day, and you know, she nearly made it to the end. Now, there are four by one-hundreds. Anyways, she started to cramp up… in the pool! So, she had to waddle her way there. So, while she had the lead, everyone got like half-way through the pool. So, I finally got the baton, and I was like ‘Holy cow, I gotta go fast,’ so I did, and I swam as fast as I can. Guess what happened next.”

“You won?”

“Nah, I came second, but only by like, two seconds, I think. It was pretty cool actually, seeing that I had such a large lead. I think that’s how I was scouted because someone mentioned that the scouts from Hope’s Peak were there. But, I also got scouted for the Olympics, since they really want me to be Japan’s Olympic cadet.”

“Are ya gonna bite?”

“Yeah, I think so. It’s just, the Olympics is a worldwide thing. It’s something I’ve always aimed for, but in my sixteen years of living, I never thought it’d occur this early. You know, I’d go to a college on a sports’ scholarship, keep training, and eventually maybe I’d do something to get me scouted for the Olympics.”

“You’ve got that as your dream, huh?”

“Yeah. It’s been something I’ve always wanted to do since I was little.”

“Oh, cool. I’m riding on a sports’ scholarship too. I used it to get here, actually. Then, when I was done with my two years here, I was gonna go to do something for music. But, hell no. This shitty game had to have happened. It’s so annoying.”

“Yeah…” I sighed, glowering. “Not something we can change now I suppose.” I took another bite of my donut.

“Anyways, let’s not talk about that right now,” he said. “The scholarship’s been super cool because I hate studying. So, I just needed to play until I got here, and bam, I did. Ultimate Baseball Star! Booyah!”

“And that’s why you accepted?”

“Yeah, dude. It’s an easy out. *And* it made me super popular with the ladies! I got to third base in more ways than one, if you get what I’m sayin’!”

“Ew, ew, dude that is *gross*!” I grimaced. “If you want to find someone to talk with that about, please, *please* not me… That’s a terrible thing to use your talent for.”

He chuckled. “I’m sure I got ya though. Just kidding.”

_Is he really…?_

“Okay, okay, whatever, dude,” I said with a shrug. “But, if you *did* use your talent for girls, I think that’s a pretty disgraceful thing. Just riding on the coattails of it.”

“Yeah, but talent comes from hard work, right?”

“Not in your case…”

“Alright, alright, don’t take it so seriously. I was only kidding.”

“Yeah, yeah,” I said, taking another bite of my donut.

“Thanks for hangin’, by the way,” he said with a grin. “You’re cool. Y’know, like one of the guys? You’re pretty approachable and really easy to talk to.”

I swallowed. “Thanks, I guess.”

“I guess?”

“Well,” I made bunny-fingers, “I’m not exactly sure ‘one of the guys’ is a compliment.”

“Well, I never really took you for the kind to want to be a girly-girl.”

“I’m not. It just feels kind of weird hearing that. Most of my friends at school are girls.”

“Really? No boyfriend or anything like that? Thought most guys would’ve been all over you. You’re really cool.”

“Uh, no, not that I’ve noticed…” I said. “I don’t really have an interest in them anyways? There have really been no boys that I’ve liked before—you know, like in that way. I’ve always been more focused on my athletics.”

“Really strange, huh? Would’ve thought you’d have had one…”

I blushed. “Come on, stop it… What about you…?”

“Me? Like as in, if I have a girlfriend? Pssh, nah,” he said with a grin. “Nothing like that… though, I know this one chick that has a crush on me, uh, she’s kind of fucking creepy…”

“Yikes… Well, I guess that’s what happens when you’re an Ultimate. That recognition comes with fans.”

“Yeah, freaky ones.”

“But, with respect too,” I said proudly. “I’m glad I’m where I am. A lot of people respect me for what I can do. I think it’s always important to recognize that. You know, like someone out there looks up to me. I think that’s pretty amazing honestly. I’ve got a lot of people that I’ve gotta inspire, so of course, I’m going to keep trying to do that. When you’re where we are, you can’t just be complacent in where you are. You’ve always gotta keep working; be the best you can be.”

“Yeah… I guess that makes sense…” he said aloud as if thinking to himself.

“Anyways, I wanted to ask you about baseball if you don’t mind? Do you have any stories to share?”

“Not that I can remember,” he answered. “Oh, actually, hell yeah; I have lots.”

“Alright then, care to share?”

“Of course, I don’t mind that.”

I spent the rest of my time in the cafeteria with Leon sharing stories about the different sports we played. A lot of his baseball stories were filled with excitement and suspense, and for someone who didn’t enjoy playing them, he surely enjoyed narrating them, evident from his tone of voice. Maybe he really did like baseball after all?

After we decided were finished, we said our goodbyes and both exited the cafeteria and I went back to my room.


	17. Comrades

I remained in my room after meeting Leon, showering first, but generally doing nothing after. There were no words to describe my boredom. In here there was really nothing to do. No parks, no pools, no tracks—no old friends. No brothers, no parents, no cousins.

Just Aoi.

Maybe that was the motive for this game. To drive ourselves mad until we eventually took matters into our own hands—physically and metaphorically.

I sighed, as I laid on the bed, my legs feeling the urge to just break into a sprint, but then

_Knock knock._

Another knock on the door, this time, more resounding and powerful than the last.

_Finally, something to do!_

I ran towards the door, not really thinking of who it could be—I just figured it would be someone like Leon who wanted to spend time together again. I smiled when I saw another friendly face on the other side.

“Hey, Mukuro,” I greeted. “How’s life?”

“Dull,” she replied blandly, but with a bit of mirth. “Not fun. I’ve just been wasting away the time today trying to plan this ‘mission’. Naegi makes for a surprisingly good compadre for these sort of things.”

“Oh right, the investigation! I nearly forgot about that, but… Makoto?”

She nodded. “Smart kid. He’s sweet too, a joy to talk to. He’s pretty good at strategy, we decided all the places to hit. Just…”

“Just?”

“Just… there are not many leads? We’ve pretty much checked everywhere already. I’m the closest thing here to a technician, and I can’t say that I can exactly do much with the gun.”

“What about the metal bars you mentioned?” I asked. “Do you think Sakura could break them?”

“We’ve thought of that,” the soldier stated. “Half and half, but at the same time, those bitches could be made of vibranium or something else dumb. I’m just… waiting for the damn bear to pop up and tell me it’s indestructible. He seems too methodical about this. Knows all the ins and outs. It’s creepy…”

“Yeah. Well, it’s worth a shot at least.”

“Of course. I’m not saying it isn’t it’s just got me feeling… I don’t know how to explain it.”

“You’re welcome to come in if you’d like,” I said, gesturing to the bed in my room. “Sit too.”

Mukuro waved her hand dismissively. “No, no, it’s not necessary. I just need a drink.”

“Ah, a drink, hmm.” I pursed my lips, musing to myself for about half a second. “How about some vegetable juice. That’ll get you going.”

She chuckled. “A drink like *beer*, Asahina.”

“Beer?!”

“Beer,” she repeated. “Cold, hard liquor.”

“Isn’t beer like, bad for you?”

“I’m surprised we’re the same age and you’ve never had a drink. Not a smoke either?”

I shook my head. “Cigarettes are off the table for sure. I can’t get a lung infection or anything like that. Ultimate Swimming Pro and all.”

“Yeah, that’s fair,” Mukuro said. “Maybe it’s just me. It’s not like I’m a delinquent. It’s just when your company is a bunch of German men out in the Middle East and you’re thirteen, it’s pretty likely you’ll pick up some bad habits.” Happily, she sighed, her eyes fixed on the ceiling. “Pleasant memories…”

“I thought you didn’t like talking about your mercenary group.”

“I don’t,” she said her tone getting deadly serious before softening for her next sentence. “It’s… that was better than in here though. Like I said, it’s not like I’m in danger in here; no one’s gonna touch a woman who can break them in half without even trying, and the last thing I’m gonna do is attempt to kill someone. But, you know, *there* I was probably safer. Sure, we were at risk of being bombed or a shooting in the camp… a betrayal.”

_How is that *any* better than in here?_

“Um…” I blinked. “Right…”

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Mukuro asked with a frown.

“O-Oh, no reason,” I assured. “It’s just… that doesn’t seem much better is all… Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t think I’d like to be faced with those kinds of things…”

“No one should,” Mukuro said sternly, narrowing her eyes. “A life like that is shitty, but maybe you’re right… maybe it’s not an at-risk thing. I don’t know what it is.”

“No, no, it’s fine. We don’t have to talk about it anymore if it’s awkward for you. I’m sure we’re all just trying to adapt to this situation. It hasn’t exactly been easy for anyone.”

“I concur,” she said. “Let’s shut up about it.” At that, I chuckled, and Mukuro raised an eyebrow. “What is it?” 

“Nothing, nothing,” I told her. “It’s just those words: ‘I concur’—they remind me of when we first met. I expected you to be really different.”

“Different?” she asked with a grin. “How so?”

“Like, more quiet. Less extroverted, kind of the super smart type that keeps quiet and thinks about… stuff. Talks all proper. You know, the protagonist’s sidekick in the movies!”

“I’m not sure if you called me brash or stupid. Maybe both?”

Panicked, I apologized. “No, oops, sorry I didn’t mean it like—”

“It’s fine,” she laughed. “I give that impression a lot, but it’s a ‘get-to-know-you’ sort of thing, I guess. Plus, I don’t have the leisure to be like that. We’re working towards something bigger than us. I have the time to be mopey and quiet when I get out, but not now. Though, does that make you the protagonist then?”

“Hmm…” I paused for a second, thinking about it before shaking my head. “Nah, I’m not protagonist material.”

“Who then?”

“Makoto?”

“Makoto,” she agreed.

“Makoto,” I said with a smile.

“Anyways, enough idle chit-chat,” she said. “You’d be surprised, but we have an institution to explore.”

“Yeah, sorry about keeping you for so long…”

“Never a problem. I quite enjoy our talks, even if it results in you crying sometimes.”

I blushed. “Haha, yeah…”

“Crying is a sign of strength.”

“You believe that?”

I swore I saw Mukuro… shudder. Her eyes lowered towards the ground. “No, of course not…” she whispered. “I just tried to make you feel better.” Her tone returned to normal, perhaps even more jovial as she spoke again. “But, I’m glad we met in here, and I do enjoy our talks. You’re one of the people in here I trust. Not to mention you’re a good comrade, Asahina.”

“So soon?”

“So soon what?”

“I mean, you’re trusting me so soon… in a game like this?”

“Would you rather I not?”

I shook my head. “No, of course not. I’m really glad that you do because I trust you too. But, I’m just surprised, honestly… How do you know that I won’t try anything with you…?”

“Multiple reasons,” Mukuro stated. She held out her right hand and began counting off her of her fingers. “Firstly,” she brought the tip of her index fingers together, “you wouldn’t be putting those things in my head if you were actually plotting to kill me, which would make me doubt our relationship.” She then pressed her index finger against the right middle finger. “Secondly, you’re actually too nice to attempt to do anything—you give that aura and everyone knows it. You’re one of the nice competitors.”

“Competitors?”

“Competitors.”

“It’s not a game, Mukuro.”

“It *is*. At least according to the bear, it’s a ‘killing game’.” She slammed her index finger onto her ring finger. “Thirdly—”

“Just stop,” I said cutting her off.

“Did I mess up?”

I grabbed the back of my neck. “Kinda…” 

She frowned. “Sorry.”

“No, it’s fine. I just hate thinking about this sort of stuff. I don’t like to think of it as a ‘game’, or anything like that. Real people’s lives are at stake, which kind of instantly makes it not a game unless you’re crazy.”

“You’re right. I apologize.”

“It’s fine… We shouldn’t have to be thinking about any of this anyways. We should just be kids going to school.”

“Yikes. Yeah, you’re right. I apologize for my actions again.”

“Mhm. I get the point. Let’s, uh, not worry about that now and just get to investigating.”

Wordlessly, Mukuro nodded and stepped closer to the door, gesturing for me to leave first, which I did, and she followed. The soldier led the way as we walked through the empty hallway towards the trash room—a strange place to reconvene—but where we were located nonetheless. The ‘we’ was the entirety of our alliance; even Sayaka. They all held their Monopads and were conversing with one another. They hadn’t even noticed our arrival until Mukuro cleared her throat.

“Oh, Mukuro, you’re back!” Sayaka said, she then turned to me and waved. “Hey, Hina!” she said sweetly.

My stomach churned, but I greeted her. “Hey, Sayaka, Makoto, Sakura.”

The other two just nodded in greeting.

“Have you perfected our game plan, Naegi?” Mukuro asked.

Makoto simply shook his head. “Negative, soldier.”

“Why’s that?” she asked.

“Uh, mostly because we don’t have much to begin with, other than what we decided we want to do,” Makoto answered. “We haven’t really planned anything which will lead to sure success.”

Mukuro shrugged. “Progress is progress, right?”

“I suppose…” Makoto answered.

“Don’t worry, guys. I’m sure we’ll find something,” Sayaka said, smiling. “So, let’s not worry about all the bad stuff on not really having a plan at the moment.”

“We *have* a plan,” Mukuro stated firmly, even a bit angrily. “We just don’t have anything conclusive. We can’t guarantee we’ll get out.”

“I’m sure we’re aware of that regardless,” Sakura stated. “If there is a plan, then let us begin.”

“Yeah, I agree,” Mukuro said. “Okay, so the first place you want to go, Naegi, is the AV Room, correct.”

He nodded. “There could possibly be some tapes or DVDs there. Maybe the mastermind left a message.”

“Not sure if that sounds too likely, in my opinion,” Mukuro said. “What makes you feel that?”

“Just a hunch…” he said. “Better than nothing.”

_Why do I suddenly feel like we’ll be searching for just ten minutes?_

“Right, of course, you’re right again,” Mukuro said. “Anyways, let’s go then.” 

After saying that, Mukuro left, Makoto and Sakura tagging behind. I put my foot down as if to follow, but Sayaka stopped me.

“Hina,” she called out.

I turned on my heel to look behind me, and expected, the girl who had a living-doll-like appearance was there, but something was different. Now, she really seemed off—more so than this morning. Her eyes were sunk deep into her skull, barriered by subtly-darker shades of her skin. Her hair was brushed but still looked mildly disheveled. The only thing that seemed to match up with the Sayaka I met when I first arrived here was the toothy grin that I couldn’t peg as a falsity now.

“Um, hey, are you okay?” I asked.

“No, I’m fine,” she said. “I’m okay, really.”

I paused for a second before speaking. “You don’t look okay…”

“I am. I just wanted to see how you were doing.”

_Now, this doesn’t make any sense. She wants to see how I’m doing…? But why?_

“Fine,” I answered. “I’m just… kind of worried about you… is all. Are you sure you’re okay…?”

Those words weren’t lies. Even if I didn’t completely trust Sayaka, I wanted her to be okay, because I clearly could tell that she wasn’t. But I could see it in her face. The resolve to proclaim fib as fact. She *wanted* to believe that she was fine, but the question was which one of us was she truly trying to convince? And then, she softened, her pink lips curling downward to form a frown.

“Sorry,” she apologized. “I’m slowing down the investigation. I’m probably just being silly, I wanted to talk was all.”

“I… have an idea. One moment. Stay here.” I stepped out of the room, running to catch up with the group, which wasn’t a problem since they hadn’t gone far and I tapped Mukuro on the shoulder. “Hey, a sec. Can we talk in private for a second?”

Mukuro turned around and raised an eyebrow. “What is this about?”

“It’ll only take a second. I promise. Can we go somewhere in private and talk?”

Mukuro held her suspicions, but she simply sighed. “Alright. We’ll walk to the bathrooms and get back quickly. But, you don’t have a minute—you have two.”

I smiled and nodded. “Thanks.”

“Yeah, no prob—Ah!”

I gripped Mukuro by the wrist and pulled her along to the bathroom in a sprint, which rewarded strange looks from Sakura and Makoto. It wasn’t like Mukuro had any trouble keeping up—she was probably in more of a peak athletic condition than I was due to her talent. Speeding along, I pulled her inside.

“Christ, I said *walk*, Asahina,” she chided. “Hell, I almost got tired.” Leaning against the bathroom walls, the soldier folded her arms. “What’s this about?”

“Sayaka.”

She rolled her eyes. “Oh boy.”

“She wants to talk to me.”

“About?”

“I don’t know. That’s what I want to know.”

“Maybe it’s about you know, how you kind of obviously are doubting her.”

“Obviously?”

“Your nose turns red, remember?”

“Ah…”

She chuckled. “It’s whatever. She wants to talk to you. Why does this concern me?”

“She doesn’t look okay,” I answered. “Is it dumb to say I’m worried.”

“Hmm,” Mukuro wondered aloud. “No, not really if I’m being honest. You could probably get away with it.”

“‘Probably’?”

“I’m telling you *to* talk to her,” Mukuro answered. “As much as I think she’s two-faced, I don’t really have any evidence for it. Only really my gut. What does yours say?”

“I don’t know… My gut’s confused.”

“Well, it’s up to your judgment then, Asahina. To talk, or not to talk. Personally, I would tell you to go for it, because I know what’s going on recently probably can’t be good for her. She’s been thrown into suspicion time and time again. I’m fairly certain idols have fragile egos anyways. What I’m going to tell you to do is to *not* let your guard down. Be wary even still.”

Even though I didn’t know it, I frowned. “Yeah, thanks…”

“Hey come on—smile,” Mukuro said, trying to cheer me up. She pushed her gloved fingers against the sides of her mouth, forcing one herself. “You know, like this,” she said through gritted teeth, “come on.”

“Yeah, yeah,” I said, offering a little smile. “Like this right?”

“You got it.” She lowered her hands and gave a thumbs up. “Anyways, go get ‘em tiger, I suppose. Do your best at the very least.”

“Okay,” I said turning around.

“Hey.”

I turned my head to glance at Mukuro. “Yeah?”

“Don’t let my opinions force you into anything. Last thing we genuinely need is politics this early on in the game. Even though she’s clearly sketchy, I don’t want to paint a target on anyone’s back. The goal of this game is to get *everyone* out alive. If I weren’t in here… I probably wouldn’t have the attitude I have towards her now. So, I’m not going to force you to pick between us. Do what you can.”

I nodded. “Alright.”

“Good luck.”

“Thanks. You guys can go on ahead, by the way. Maybe it’s best if we split up.”

“Maybe so,” Mukuro said. “It doesn’t matter, we’re not going to have to look through much anyways, only a few theories to test, and then we’re probably just going to walk around for an hour or two and see what we find.”

“Oh, I thought it’d be more… thought out than that…”

“In all fairness, we have had about half a day to plan… We all just kind of jumped on when you said you wanted to investigate, to which, you may not even do…”

“Oh, no, after this I’m going to look around, don’t worry! I’m sure we’ll find something!”

“Well, we have the Ultimate Lucky Student on our side. I’m fairly certain good will come.”

“Are you superstitious, Mukuro?”

“Eh,” she shook her hand from side to side, “a little bit. I’m mostly just saying bull, but I have hope.”

“Best of luck.”

“Hmph, you need it more than me,” she said with a smile before it quickly deformed into a worried frown. She reached out her hand and extended her right pinky finger. “Hey, um, promise you’ll be okay.”

“What are we now? Schoolgirls?” I joked.

“Quite literally. And?”

“I would never expect a pinky promise from *you* of all people.”

“Good. Don’t. This is a one-time thing to make you feel more comfortable. I don’t make pinky promises with everyone.”

I nodded and extended my pinky finger to wrap around hers, the feeling of soft cotton kind of soothing in a way. “Thanks.”

“No problem, Hina,” she said.

My eyes widened at that. “You called me by my nickname.”

“Yeah.”

“No more ‘Asahina’?”

“A bit long for the same thing.”

I chuckled. “Are you sure we’re not friends?”

Mukuro frowned, unwrapped her pinky and folded her arms, leaning against the wall once more. “No, we can’t be.”

“Huh?”

“It’s been one day.”

“So?”

“You can’t make friends in a day.”

“You can?”

Mukuro sighed. “No, not really… Not where I’m from, I don’t have that leisure…”

“Oh, sorry for bringing it up…”

She shook her head. “It’s fine… You know what, maybe it’s… something new for a change? I wouldn’t mind being ‘friends’, I guess…”

Something didn’t seem right in Mukuro’s tone. She still seemed… dismissive. Like after all this time of trying to comfort me, to let her into my world—she wanted me completely out of hers… It was disheartening, obviously. Someone that you’ve gotten to know so well, in such a short time—that I genuinely cared for—doing a complete one-eighty like that.

But I understood why.

She probably never had it easy as she made it seem, and was probably going through some serious inner turmoil. Maybe, she had a reason she was doing this… trying to get so close to me that maybe she just wasn’t saying.

Despite all of that. I still wanted to trust her.

_Mukuro is my friend. But… maybe I should leave her alone for a little while._

“Anyways, I’m gonna leave, I guess,” I said. “We can be friends though, yeah, uh, but I gotta go back to Sayaka, I’ve wasted a little while here.”

The soldier just let out a grunt, giving me a dismissive wave, acknowledging that she had heard me and bidding me farewell. With a nod on my end, I left, but she didn’t even turn to look at me, so I left in silence, but I couldn’t help but worry for my friend—for the person who had done the most for her in here thus far.

For a split second, I thought something… not so nice, but her expression confirmed my thoughts as fiction—the heartache on her face was too real.

_I worry for you, Mukuro Ikusaba._


	18. A Much Needed Talk

“Hey, I’m back.”

Those were the words I said as I re-entered the trash room, where I saw a despondent Sayaka, somehow looking worse than usual. She shivered like a lost dog left in the rain for hours and clutched her shoulders tightly as if holding onto life itself. Her eyes were like a blank piece of paper, empty. I swore she was worse than before.

“Hey,” she responded quietly, giving the most minuscule of waves. “Sit.”

“Sit?” I asked.

She motioned to the trash room floor, which, despite the name, was painstakingly-clean. Obeying, I sat and she made herself more comfortable doing the same, placing her arms around her slender legs and she cradled her legs towards her. I watched her down to the slightest movements, half-suspicious, half-afraid; especially since there was no real explanation for this change. Was this truly the Sayaka Maizono I had met earlier? 

“So,” she finally started, making sure to look me right in the eyes.

“You don’t look so good, Sayaka? Uh, what’s wrong? You look really *really* bad.”

“Look, you’re right?”

“I’m right.”

“About looking bad, okay, you’re right. I look like the s-word.” Sayaka rubbed her cheeks with her hands as if trying to remove all the near-nonexistent impurities from her face. “I stayed up all night.”

“You were up all night?”

She nodded. “Yeah. The night before this one too. I was really anxious coming here, but I’m sure you expected that. Even idols like me get nervous.” Sayaka chuckled, and for a split-second, I could see a sliver of mirth. 

“Right…”

“Anyways, thank you for the concern, but I’m sure there’s something more important going on right now. You want to know why I want to talk right?” Wordlessly, I nodded and she continued. “Okay, well I want the truth now. Do you swear to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth.”

_She makes it seem like I’m on trial…_

Raising my right hand and if swearing an oath, I nodded. “Promise.”

“Good,” she said emotionlessly. “So, Aoi, how do you feel about me?”

“Huh?”

“I have really good intuition, Aoi. I can sense something’s off. I know by the way you act around me—the strange looks, untimely stutters—it doesn’t take a genius to know that you don’t trust me. I just never thought to confront you about it until now. Just… be honest with me. *Please*.”

My calculator of a brain tried to solve emotional equations that were far too difficult for someone of my intelligence. If I was being honest, even I had grown familiar with the feeling of logical and emotional amalgamation, this was it. I had truly felt everything. The happiness of finally being able to be honest, but the fear of the repercussions. The longing to finally see the true Sayaka Maizono, but the skepticisms that went hand in hand. It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.

I started, crossing my legs and placing my hands on my knees and squeezing them tightly, “Look, I… I don’t know okay. Don’t kill me for this in any sense, but, when someone asks to create an alliance like that on the first day, it doesn’t really add up when you’re thrown into… *this*.”

“Is that it then? I get it. I think you’re right. Then, why are you scared or unsure of me. Think I’m going to lead you into a dark ditch somewhere and stab you with a kitchen knife? Just be honest. It’s not going to ruin our relationship.”

_Well, you’re the one who thought about it._

“No,” I answered, concealing my mouth and nose with my hand. “Well, yes? Look, a lot of stuff doesn’t make sense right now I… I think.”

“Not sure?” In response, I shook my head and the idol continued, “Okay. I’m not a therapist, but I can *understand*. I’m not sure how to put this, my mind is racing just like yours probably.”

“Well—”

“But one thing’s for certain,” Sayaka said cutting me off, “we *need* to work this out. I’m not going to harm. I never had any intention to. I can tell you like Mukuro a lot so, can you keep a secret—even if it’s from her?”

“Uh, depends on what it is.”

“Nothing bad about her, but I can tell by the way she looks at me. I’m not a stranger to those looks, okay? I’m part of the *idol* industry. Does she think I don’t notice?”

Sayaka’s words were filled with what would seem to be malice. With how flighty she had described things at times it was hard to tell, but something was definitely there, lingering within the confines of her voice.

“Uh, no, I think she’s smarter than that…” I said. “Come on. Mukuro’s nice.”

“To *you*,” she stated sarcastically. 

“Sayaka…”

“Sorry…”

An awkward, negative silence filled the room, and I could tell it clouded Sayaka’s judgment like a thick impassable fog. Her lack of sleep and the emotional stress was surely getting to her by now. I noticed she was rocking back and forth slowly, emulating a rocking chair, almost. She repeated the words ‘I’m sorry,’ multiple times, which… was scary, so I moved closer—next to her actually—and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“It’s not easy when nobody trusts you…” she muttered, her voice quiet and solemn.

“I… I know,” I replied. “I’m sorry, Sayaka.” _I’ve just gotta wing it._ “But, you can’t let that get you down. ‘It’s not about whether you get knocked down; it’s whether you get up.’ That’s a quote from Vince Lombardi, American football player.” I looked at her, giving a reassuring smile. “We can’t really afford to give in here, Sayaka. That’s what the bear wants—that’s what you, and Sakura and Mukuro and everyone has taught me. Uh, I’m not too sure what else to say, but yeah! I believe in you!”

“You do?” I nodded and Sayaka’s shades of blue met mine, and we stared deep into each others’ eyes. The idol examined me carefully, before nodding. “Okay. Sorry about this.”

“No problem,” I replied, “it’s just… a little weird I guess…?”

“I understand,” Sayaka said, actually cracking a little smile before sinking back into a frown. “Anyways, with what I was about to say… I offered to form an ‘alliance’ because I knew Sakura would protect me—you know, *before* I was cast into suspicion. Alright, with someone as big and strong as she is, there was no way anyone would want to mess with me if we were always together.”

_So it’s just like what Mukuro said._

“That was your plan?” I asked.

She nodded. “I didn’t want to do anything wrong. You need to trust me. It’s just like what I said—the alliance is an oath to look out for one another.”

“So, that’s it…? Why didn’t you just tell anyone that you didn’t want to do anything wrong or what your motives were?”

“I didn’t want anyone to distrust me. If I said I wanted my own personal bodyguard, then that probably wouldn’t go very well. Instead, I made it look like something different.”

“Which makes sense… why?”

“Because… I don’t know, I was panicking, okay!”

I sighed. “Well, um, whatever. Sorry about this, Sayaka. I don’t really think I get it…”

“Um…” She pursed her lips. “I’m not sure how much better I can explain it. I just thought you all would be mad, okay?” she said defensively. “Like, for instance, the last thing I’d want to do with you all is make enemies.”

“I don’t want to make enemies either,” I said. “It just… doesn’t make sense. It seems to me like you’ve thrown yourself between a rock and a hard place in my opinion.”

Sheepishly, but awkwardly, the idol chuckled. “Yeah… it would seem so.”

“So, what now?”

“We start over…?”

“Uh…” I gripped the back of my neck. “Sure?”

She scooted forward, gazing at me with curiosity mixed with a modicum of concern. “What’s wrong, Hina?”

“No, it’s just… ‘start over’? Sorry, Sayaka, but I don’t really get what you mean by that… What happened happened, I’m not mad or really care much. I’m still a little upset you didn’t tell the truth, but, I don’t doubt that it *is* the truth. If that’s all it really is, it’s probably not that important. I don’t see why we’d need to start over… I mean, I think I kinda half-get it…” I shrugged. “Sorry…”

Sayaka moved a bit closer. “So, we’re still friends?”

I nodded. “Uh, yeah. Even then, we were still friends.”

“How about we do some bonding then?”

“Bonding?”

“Yeah, like spending tomorrow together!” she enthused, standing up and squatting, offering a hand to me. “It’ll be fun.”

I took her hand and pulled myself up along with her help. Her request hadn’t even surprised me. At this point, it had just seemed like a Sayaka-like thing to say. But, I didn’t have any objections. While I did believe her, it’d probably be best to keep an eye on her, or that’s what I had figured at the time, anyway.

“Yeah,” I said. “I mean, yeah!” I repeated, this time more enthusiastic. “I think we could do that. I don’t think that’d be a bad thing.”

She clapped her hands together. “Great! We can bond now if you’d like. If you have any questions about me, I promise to answer honestly, because that’s what we need to pride our relationship on.”

“Uh, questions?”

“Anything. Anything at all, no matter how arbitrary. Shoot.”

“Well, uh,” I paused, thinking of an appropriate question before continuing, “do you have any siblings?”

“Only child,” she answered. “Just me and my dad, actually. He’s an accountant.”

“Ah, so no siblings… I’m surprised. I have a brother myself, but I always thought you’d have an older sibling teaching you to do idol stuff, right? Is that how it usually works?”

She shook her head. “Not necessarily. Meteor formed because we were all friends in middle school. Satomi and Ayase went to different middle schools though, but that didn’t stop us.” Sayaka’s face lit up, like the end of a stormy rainfall to bear a rainbow. “We were all friends, but rivals in the same way. Being together when we were so young… it was nice. Funnily enough, we didn’t meet in Japan.”

“Oh, then where?”

“The United States, but with the exception of one of us who is half-American, we’re all Japanese. We met at a J-Pop convention there. I was there with my dad. We never really had much money, so I never really got a chance to travel abroad until recently. I was just about to enter middle school and he knew I had liked idols, so he took me to a convention in the States. He thought it’d be a nice change of scenery and I had really wanted to go to Washington before, it was a two-for-one deal. That’s how I met my best friends in the whole world!” Contently, Sayaka sighed. “I wouldn’t exchange them for anything…”

As she spoke more and more, I felt myself being eased into it. Eased… around Sayaka. It was like the worries and fears I had held, my skepticism. It had vanished, and for once, I was talking to *her*—the real Sayaka Maizono. She wasn’t a deviant or mastermind trying to trick me… just a normal high school girl. Like me. The way she spoke about such gaiety made it easy to remember that. And even though she was bordering on being a walking carcass, the smile and shine in her eyes still managed to make her look a little bit better.

“You… really do love them,” I said with a smile.

She nodded, placing her hands one on top of another on her chest. “Yes. Meteor means more to me than you and maybe I’ll even ever know. It was just… nice.” She closed her eyes shut, clutching the pink ribbon on her chest tightly. “Now that’s gone now.” She gritted her teeth. “Thanks to that effing black and white bear.”

“I didn’t mean to—!”

Sayaka waved her hand at me and spoke. “It’s fine. It’s nothing really. It’s just nice to reminisce is all. They’re strong girls, they’re fine.”

“Yeah…”

“Hey, I have a proposal.”

“Huh? A proposal?”

“I just said that silly,” Sayaka giggled. “You and me, how about we spend the day together tomorrow? Just the two of us.”

“Huh, well, uh, yeah sure!”

“Good. I’ll plan something for the two of us to do then! Anyways, we need to get searching, so… shall we?”

I nodded and grinned. “Yeah!”

What happened afterward surprised me. She charged towards me and attacked me… by hugging me. She grinned widely and she rested her head on my shoulder and she patted my back, rubbing it at times. I stood there in shock, but I wrapped my arms around her and patted her back, albeit, a bit awkwardly.

“Thank you, Hina,” she said.

I sighed and closed my eyes. “You’re welcome, Sayaka.”


	19. Investigation

After our conversation, we split up searched for what seemed like hours. I wasn’t going to lie, it was good exercise, but the same amount tiring. We double-checked room after room in the _Despair Hotel_. The kitchen. The cafeteria. The bathhouse. The laundry room. The bathrooms. The trash room. Both of our dorm rooms.

Nothing. No hints; nothing to point to a way out.

I sighed, walking through the hallway. Prior, Sayaka and I had agreed to meet in the cafeteria after we had finished our investigations, so I made my way there hurriedly, trying not to keep her waiting in case she *was* there.

Slipping into the kitchen, I saw her, but she wasn’t alone. She was at a table, a plate full of apple slices in front of her, next to Yasuhiro Hagakure, the Ultimate Clairvoyant, who she was casually chatting to. She waved at me, motioning to come closer and sit with them, so I did, pulling out a chair and planting myself in it.

“Hey, Hina,” a pensive-looking Yasuhiro greeted.

“Hiro,” I greeted back. “How’re you?”

“Good… good,” he said, looking back at Sayaka and then back to me. “Hey, Hina, can I ask you something?”

Raising an eyebrow, I said, “Shoot.”

“How long do you think this prank is going to go on?” he asked.

“Prank?” I questioned.

“Yeah, you know, this whole robotic bear ‘killing game’ thing. I kinda just wanna go home now. Not really in the mood.” He looked off to the side, musing. “I wonder how my mom is…”

“Uh, Hiro, I *don’t* really think this is a prank. A prank wouldn’t last this long. There’s something serious going on,” I said.

“That’s what Sayaka said too,” he told me, “but if it wasn’t a prank, that doesn’t make any sense. There’s police, the military, SWAT forces, plus cameras. Surely someone would’ve come to get us now if it wasn’t. I don’t think that they couldn’t fight Monokuma.”

“Yeah, but they explode and there’s more than one of them,” Sayaka cut in. “I don’t think that it’d be too hard. I mean, he *is* a robot… or some kind of artificial intelligence… or whatever.”

“Pshh, the robot takeovers only happen in the movies, Sayaka, “ he laughed. “No way this isn’t a prank. It’s probably some kind of test or whatever. They’d probably jump in the moment something would start to happen. I hear the headmaster’s a kinda sketchy guy… Uh… what was his name…?”

“His name is…” I started, “Uh… his name is… It’s…”

“Koichi Kizakura?” Sayaka asked. 

“Maybe it was something like that,” Hiro said. “Anywho, I really do doubt that this isn’t a prank. I’m sure our parents are gonna be real annoyed though.” He took a thinking pose. “They are kinda keeping us in captivity. Anyway, thanks for the chat, Sayaka.” He took up, firmly placing his hands on the table. “We can hang later.”

“Yeah.” She nodded to him. “I’ll see you later.”

He left the two of us to ourselves and I settled in my seat, turning my attention to Sayaka, who picked up and apple slice between her index finger and thumb and offered it to me.

“Apple?” she asked.

I put my hand up. “I’m good, thanks. What was that about?”

“He doesn’t really believe what’s going on with the killing game still. It’s kind of frustrating because he’s a good guy and I don’t want him to get jumped or anything like that. Kind of bad, not gonna lie. At least he’s positive?”

“That’s… worth something?”

“I didn’t get to ask him about the alliance. I will when I get the chance, don’t worry.”

“Right,” I said. “Did you find anything?”

“Nothing. You?”

“Nope.”

“Heck!”

I giggled a bit at that. “Heck?”

“Stop,” she said pouting. “We have other places to check. What about outside of the hotel, do you want to go there?”

“Sure,” I responded. “It’s better than nothing.”

“Good, because there are some rooms that kind of caught my eye before. There’s a store.”

“Oh, yeah? But what currency do you think it uses, I mean. I don’t have my purse on me.”

“Did it get stolen when you came here?” she asked curiously. 

“No… just, I decided to leave it at home. I wanted to try out the cafeteria lunch. I always do that first day. I’m a bit of a nutritionist. I like to see what they have, and make my meal plans in case my mom or dad can’t make lunch.”

“Hmm, well, do you have a favorite food? Surely, it’s something like… maybe carrot stew? Or like fish pie?”

“It’s uh…” I scratched my cheek, “donuts. Any flavor.”

“Ohhh,” she said aloud, following it up with a soft chuckle. “Well, if I’m gonna be honest, I’m going to say I didn’t expect that.”

“Most people don’t. They tend to think that I’m some sort of health freak or whatever.” I smiled. “But, you know, nothing can beat a good donut. It doesn’t matter what kind of donut. Frosted, jelly-filled, eclairs, cinnamon twists. They’re all just as yum.”

“‘Just as yum’?” Sayaka asked with a little smirk. “Also, don’t mean to rain a bit on your parade, but you are drooling a little bit.”

“I am?”

“Yeah,” she extended her right thumb towards my face, wiping my cheek with a soft giggle, “you have something right there.”

I let her wipe my cheek, feeling slightly awkward at the ongoing situation. My muscles tensed, but I thought it’d be a little… rude? A little rude to pull away.

“Uh, thanks,” I said while attempting to avoid her gaze.

“Mhm,” she mumbled and with a curt nod, she went back to eating… with the exact same hand she wiped my saliva with.

“Sayaka…?” I called.

“Huh? Something wrong, Hina?” I pointed to the food and her hand and blinking she said, “Oh. It’s nothing new. I’ve—”

“Huh? Something wrong, Hina?” I pointed to the food and her hand and blinking she said, “Oh. It’s nothing new. I’ve—” Her face quickly changed to a look of disgust and she stopped herself, squeezing the apple slice more tensely between her fingers. Natural curiosity told me to press, but… curiosity *did* kill the cat. All I could offer her was a look of puzzlement. “Never mind,” she said, placing the slice back onto the plate. “I’ll go wash up and be right back, okay? Just give me like two minutes.”

She picked up the plate and I watched her vanish into the kitchen with it, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I took out my e-Handbook and went into the Map application. I guided the small reticle-like cursor using my index finger and moved it to the past the _Despair Hotel_ to the hallway area to check the next array of rooms.

_The classrooms, the A/V room, the store, the gymnasium, the entrance, the nurse’s office… and a place with Monokuma’s face on it?_

That intrigued me. Could that be his headquarters?

Sayaka reappeared and walked over to me, placing her left hand on the dining table and the right on her hip, looking down at me.

“I see you have the map open. You’ve decided where you want to go?”

I nodded. “You see right here,” I pointed to the small icon bearing the face of a certain malicious black and white ursine. “I want to go here. I mean, obviously we’re gonna go everywhere else too, but you know what I mean, right?”

“Good. Yeah, I get it. But, it doesn’t look far once we exit, right? Wanna head straight there?”

“Mhm,” I said pushing the chair back with my weight and standing up. “Come on, let’s go.”

We hurried to the exit of the hotel and went into the hallway. Referencing the map, I searched for that room, and it led me to a giant, padded crimson double door with silver handles on both ends.

“This seems like it,” I said, pocketing my e-Handbook.

“Yeah,” Sayaka said, taking a step forward. “On a scale of one to ten, how hard do you think it’s going to be to get this to open?”

“Hopefully a one…”

“Well, we’ll see.”

She walked towards the door and firmly settled her hand on the handle and turned and pushed against the door. It didn’t budge.

“Maybe it’s a door you pull…?” I suggested.

“Nope,” Sayaka tried again, pushed against it with her hand, “definitely a push door.”

“Let me try.”

Sayaka stepped back and I grabbed the handle myself, turning and slamming my shoulder the door. It still didn’t budge, so I did it again and again; all the times bearing the same result.

“Ouch!” I said, stepping back and rubbing my shoulder.

“Not even the slightest feeling of it opening?” she asked

I shook my head. “I *wish*.”

“Hmm, well maybe we could get Sakura to try and open it,” she mused.

“It’s an eleven!” a certain familiar malicious-sounding voice said.

I would’ve shrieked… if within the last two days this wasn’t such a frequent occurrence.

“An eleven?” Sayaka asked.

“Out of ten, it’s an eleven!” he said before pausing. “Wait, wait, no. It’s a sixty-nine! A four hundred and twenty! An infinity!”

“What…?” Sayaka asked.

“You kids and your questions,” he started. “Don’t you numbskulls get it?! There is absolutely *no* way you’re getting the door open, even with that ogre! It is *not* going to budge. Do you think I would let it? It’ll open when it needs to open.”

“When it needs to open…?” I asked.

“Yes, yes, yes! *When* it needs to open. I understand that you’re not the smartest, but it’s not that hard of a concept to understand. It’s not opening *now*, and you shouldn’t keep trying to get it open *now*, because you’re just disturbing me.”

“Well, how do we get it open?” Sayaka asked. “What’s the criteria?”

The bear sniggered. “I don’t know what the criteria is… Maybe if you killed someone you’d find out…” He put his paw up. “Anyways, this is starting to annoy me now. I don’t want to be here for all that much longer. Enjoy your mutual school life. Puhuhuhu.”

Like that, he vanished before my eyes, like he had so many other times before, leaving us with more questions than answers.

“Well,” Sayaka said, smacking her lips.

“That happened…” I grabbed my neck. “I guess this isn’t where we need to be looking right now. There are other places we can go. How about the A/V room?”

“The audio-visual room is definitely on the list of places to go. So, it sounds like a plan, Hina.”

Pulling out my e-Handbook and using the map, I pointed in the direction of the A/V room. “It’s that way.”

Following my direction, we headed for the A/V room. It was a simple path and luckily we didn’t need to go far. The sign said it all: ‘A/V Room’. And, if that wasn’t enough. The door bore a matching boombox to the one on the map.

“Here we are,” I said.

“Yeah, here’s to hoping it’s a lot easier,” said the idol.

“It should be.”

I grabbed the doorknob and pulled the handle, opening it for Sayaka before I went in myself. When I entered, I only thought of one word that described the whole room. Cluttered. Cardboard boxes were on the table and on the floor. Far too many chairs for the number of students currently residing here were crammed into desks, and giant boomboxes were suspended from the orange walls. But with all of that considered, the biggest thing that was out of place was the individualistic lavender that I could recognize anywhere.

“Kyoko!” I called out.

She was going through the boxes before I called for her, but as soon as she heard me she instantly stopped and turned to me.

“Aoi,” she said with a curt nod.

“Hina, actually… I think I’m more used to getting called that now,” I said with a sheepish smile.

“Hina it is then.” She then looked at Sayaka. “Hello as well, Sayaka.”

“Hey, Kyoko, uh, what’re you doing here?” she asked.

She tapped the side of her cheek. “Searching. The same as you. How is your investigation going?”

“Uh, we haven’t really found anything yet,” I said. “We’re hoping to find something here though.”

She turned back around and began rummaging through the boxes again, taking what looked to be tapes out of the boxes and resting them on the table. “I don’t think you’ll find what you want here, sorry. Not quickly, at least. I’ve gone through half of these tapes, and I’ve still found nothing.”

“How long have you been doing this for?” Sayaka asked.

“How long…? I don’t really remember, sorry,” she said. “I came here immediately after breakfast.”

“So… like a few hours?” I asked.

“Yeah,” she responded, putting another one in and sitting in the chair. What played seemed to be pure static, but despite that, she continued to watch it closely, as if peering beyond the hues of grey. “If I find anything important, I’ll let you know.”

“Okay,” I told her. “Thanks. That’s appreciated.”

“Hey, Kyoko…” Sayaka said.

The lavender-haired girl tilted her head ever so slightly to peer back at us. “Hmm?”

“You never told us your talent, even *after* all that’s happened,” she stated. “Don’t you think it’d be useful information for us to know, even if you aren’t so comfortable with it…?”

She shook her head. “No. It’s not that important… It doesn’t really matter.”

“Yeah, but, what if you’re like, the Ultimate Assassin, or Ultimate Toxicologist or one of those things…?” Sayaka asked.

“I’m neither of those things,” Kyoko calmly responded, “so, you don’t need to worry. If I was, wouldn’t it make more sense to lie about it anyway?”

“Touche,” Sayaka said, taking a couple steps back. “Alriiight then…” she said with a hint of suspicion in her voice. “Be seeing you.”

“Seeing you,” Kyoko responded.

Sayaka made her way towards the door, motioning for me to follow her. With a slight _creak_ of the door, both of us exited the room and the idol folded her arms and rested her back against the wall.

She looked at me with curious, yet serious eyes. “What do you think her talent is?”

“I… don’t know,” I responded. “Sorry, I don’t think I could guess. I don’t even think that she really wants to tell us that anyways…”

“Maybe, but I don’t think she should be keeping it a secret. I mean, it’d probably be best for people to know what they’re working with when meeting her. What if she really does have some kind of combat-based or stealth-based talent that’s risky to have around.”

“I think you’re thinking a bit too… deep into this, Sayaka. If she wanted to do that, she probably would’ve tried to do something already. I mean, there was last night. Do you really think she’s planning to kill anyone?”

Her lips thinned sardonically. “Do you want the truth?” She sighed. “You can’t deny that it’s a possibility for everyone here. It’s only been one day, we can’t really know what everyone’s thinking. We’re *all* suspicious…”

_This conversation has taken a turn that I don’t really like…_

“Try not to be so… pessimistic, Sayaka. ‘Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.’” I grabbed the sides of my jacket. “That’s a quote from American author, Helen Keller.”

She chuckled slightly at that, her lips tugging upward into a small smile. “That’s nice of you to say that… Sometimes it’s hard to be optimistic, sometimes life won’t let you. You remind me a lot of Makoto, you know. He and I never really used to talk much, but… you know. It’s that aura.”

“Aura?”

“Yeah! Like, I guess you see the world in the same light. That things aren’t as bad as they seem and that they can get better.”

“Well, uh, I’ve always had my mom hammering that into my head, and with the nerd of an annoying brother that I do, you know.” I smiled softly, giving a nonchalant shrug, but keeping my eyes on her.

I swore I saw them shift somewhat as I spoke around the point I said ‘hammering that into my head’. Strange…

“Do you not like your brother?” she asked.

“Huh? Nah. My brother’s my best friend. He’s cool. I really like him… uh, as a brother that is… that sounded a lot more awkward than I had planned,” I said, giggling nervously.

She did the same, politely putting her hand to her mouth. “I know not like that, silly. That’d be weird. I’m an only child so the closest thing I have to siblings are Meteor. It must’ve been fun having a brother around all the time.”

“Uh, more like tiring… which would make me *more* tired from all the exercising I do. Sometimes it’s hard, you know? The good times are great, the bad times are terrible. That’s what it’s like to have siblings. Luckily, Yuta and I never really had too many bad times…”

“Hmm, interesting,” she said with a smirk, “Do you have any interesting stories?”

“Yeah, loads! One time—”

“She put her hand up, still retaining her smirk. “I just asked, Sister Complex, I get that you’re in a good mood, but tell me another time. We have work to do.”

What shocked me was that… she was right. I *was* in a good mood, probably one of the best moods I’ve been in after I was captured and left here. With *Sayaka* no less, a girl I had distrusted not that long ago. But I didn’t want to be a hypocrite. She was strange, had her little quirks, but I decided that after the heart-to-heart we had and after she explained her motives, that I should trust her for now.

“Oh, uh, yeah. We’ve gone everywhere we’ve wanted to go. So, where to next…?”

She tapped her index finger against her chin. “Hmm… Nurse’s office.”

“Over the store?”

“Yeah. I haven’t been there yet.”

“Ohhh, right, sorry.”

“Oh, no big deal. Anyway, I’m sure you know where it is?”

“Bright pink door with hearts on it. It’s practically impossible to miss.”

Sayaka gave a thumbs up. “Gotcha. So you know where it is, right? Lead the way.”

“Mhm.”

Motioning for Sayaka to follow, I meandered through the hallways until I reached the nurse’s office—that very same pink door and ripped police tape being the tell. Sayaka looked at it for a few seconds, inspecting it carefully.

“Is this it?” she asked.

I nodded. “Yeah, this is the place. I dunno what you expect to find here though, but hopefully something.”

I pushed the door open, but I swore my jaw nearly dropped. I wasn’t ready for the scene that unfolded before my eyes. Dashes of red littered the floor, the smell of coagulating blood filled my nostrils. Following the trial, my eyes came to a scene I couldn’t believe.

Mukuro Ikusaba, the Ultimate Soldier, lying dormant in the hospital bed, only in her dress shirt and skirt.

Like I wasn’t even in control of my own body, my legs moved on their own. I broke into a sprint and rushed to her bedside, rashly spinning her over. A glass-shattering scream overtook my eardrums, and I released her, covering my ears instinctively.

“Oh, *fuck*!” I heard her say, the volume enough to breach my covered ears and still be defined as loud.

Slowly, I lowered my hands. “You’re… alive…?”

“Of course I’m alive, Aoi, you cocksucker!” she screamed. “Fucking look!” She carefully rolled over even more, so that she was facing me. I hadn’t noticed it before, but she was wearing a makeshift cast. Heavy emphasis on makeshift. It seemed to be made nearly entirely out of adhesive gauze and bandages, and the sling out of Sakura’s tie. The entire thing was stained a crimson red. “Christ…”

“Oh…” I carefully took a few steps back, feeling a bit bad about the whole situation on accidentally turning her before something clicked. “No, not ‘oh’! What happened?!”

She let out a soft, girly, un-Mukuro-like giggle. “Happy little accidents of course…!”

Her speech was slurred, not to the point where it was impossible to understand her, but still notably, and her eyes lidded like despite what had just happened, she was about to fall asleep again. I wanted to know what ‘happy little accident’ could do this to a person.

“Mukuro, talk to me.” I placed my hands on my knees and lowered myself slightly so that we were at eye level. “Please. What happened to you?”

“I broke my arm, of course!” the soldier cheered, a perverse smile on her face. “It was probably not nearly as fun as I’m makin’ it seem though… ‘Cause, it fuckin’ hurt. Like, it hurt bad. Like, Jesus it fuckin’ hurt.”

“You broke *your arm*?! How?!” I asked.

“A sword fell, of course, Asahina, duh!” She closed her eyes, her grin widening. “Naegi is a baaad luck charm, I tell you. I didn’t even do anythin’, it just fell! Like… whoosh!” She did a falling motion with her left hand before dropping it drunkenly in front of the bed. “Dun worry though, I’m the best damn medic there is, yessiree. Not that Ultimate Nurse bitch, but uh, still pretty damn good! I made this cast and I have nooo clue how much morphine I’m on. More than enough, however. I’m doing good.”

I genuinely wasn’t sure which version of Mukuro was scarier. Her when she was normal, or her now, knowing all that I do about her. If anyone were to tell me that it was Mukuro Ikusaba acting like this, I would probably think it was a joke, but seeing really is believing…

“Yikes,” Sayaka finally said, speaking up. “Uh, Hina…?”

“I’m not leaving her,” I said firmly. “We don’t really have a choice. One of us has gotta stay with her while the other goes to investigate.”

“Huh? Maizono’s here?” She blinked rapidly, still very clearly out of it. “Oh, I thought that was uh, Kirigiri. Don’t matter. Piss off, both of you! You hear me, get the fuck outta here! That’s what I told Ogami and Naegi, it’s what I’m gonna tell you both! I’m a big girl, I’m gonna be fine by myself. Or I’m gonna kick you all out myself!” She began shifting in the bed, before quickly stopping and letting out a pained groan coupled with a giggle. “That fuckin’ hurts…”

“Do you think she’s experiencing morphine-induced hallucinations?” Sayaka asked.

Looking back at her, I asked, “Morphine-induced… what? *Can* morphine even do that?”

“The results are different for everyone,” Sayaka said. “I think it could happen though, but I’m not a doctor at the same time.”

“You’d think the Ultimate Soldier would be a bit more… you know, used to it…” I said.

“I am!” Mukuro cut in. “I’m good, really. You don’t need to stay with me. Just go on, shoo.”

Sayaka shrugged. “So we’re absolutely not leaving her, right?”

“Nope,” I answered. “She could hurt herself.”

“So how’re we picking who stays with her?” the idol asked.

“Rock, paper, scissors…?” I suggested. “Me and Yuta do that a lot when making decisions.”

“Alright, sure,” Sayaka said, extending her right hand.

“On three,” I said. “One.”

“Wait,” Sayaka cut in.

“Huh? What is it?” I asked.

“Is this to leave or to stay?” she asked.

“To leave…?” I suggested.

“Got it,” Sayaka said.

“Anyways,” I started. “One.” I balled my hand into a fist and so did Sayaka. “Two. Three!”

Quickly, we put our hands out with the respective symbols we wanted to play. I picked scissors and Sayaka picked paper, and I swore I saw some mild dejection in her face.

“Shoot,” she said, before stepping forward and kneeling next to me. “Well, looks like you’re with me, Mukuro.”

“Shit,” the soldier swore. “Alright then. Fuck. You have fun, Asahina. Fuckin’ lookin’ around or gettin’ lunch or some shit.”

“I will, uh, you need to get better.”

As soon as I stood I realized what a recipe for disaster this could be. It was definitely not the safest play to leave Sayaka and Mukuro together, so I wondered if I should suggest staying with her. It didn’t really matter to me either way. I knelt down to Sayaka and moved next to her ear.

“Do you think you can do this…?” I whispered softly enough that only she could hear. “I don’t mind staying with her if you don’t want to you know.”

“Do you have better medical training than I do?” she asked.

“I know how to fix cuts and bruises?” I answered.

“Then, no,” She shook her head and smiled a little at me. “It’s fine, you won fair and square. I don’t really mind staying. I’m gonna make sure she doesn’t hurt herself. How’s that? I don’t mind, really. You go have fun.”

“If you’re sure…” I said. “Then I’ll leave you alone, okay.”

“Yeah, be careful,” she said.

“Wait, wait,” Mukuro said. “Asahina, I got something for you, bring something for you, you, you. Bring something back for Maizono too, I guess.”

Lazily reaching into her skirt pocket, she pulled out two small coins with Monokuma’s face engraved onto both sides.

“Huh? What are these?” I asked.

“I dunnooo,” she answered. “You can put them in the store's machine and it’ll pop something out though. We found some before this happened, and now I thought I’d save some of mine to pass onto you.”

“The store, huh?” Sayaka thought aloud. “That’s where we were gonna go next, right, Hina?”

“Yeah,” I said. “This is actually a pretty good find. Thanks, Mukuro.”

“Anytime,” she said, her eyes shooting open widely before seemingly involuntarily closing again. “Bye-bye! I’m gonna catch a nap.”

Just like that, she was out cold without another word, snoring loudly.

“Geez,” Sayaka tugged at the hair draping her shoulders. “That thing in front of me… Are we sure it’s Mukuro?” she joked.

“Looks like it,” I said. “Uh, anyways, I’ll go investigate this… coin machine. I’ll be back after the investigation. Keep her safe.”

“Got it,” Sayaka said. “Stay safe.”

“Promise.”

I gave her a nod, and Monocoins in hand, I rushed out of the room, eager to see what waited for me in the store. My legs burned from overuse, but I still continued in my sprint.

_The sooner I get this done, the sooner this would all be over with._


	20. Antique Shop

Gazing through the door window, a slight glint in my eyes, avidity filled me, and for a moment, I had forgotten about this sick killing game. The store was simply a regular antique store, full of different kinds of trinkets and knick-knacks like you’d find in Akihabara, Shinjuku or in an airport. 

I held my Monocoins in my hand and pushed open the door, the welcoming sound of the ringing of the bells hanging atop the doorframe greeting me. I quickly looked around, examining all that I could. I knew that I probably wouldn’t have found a way out, but it was just natural curiosity.

Monokuma had matched the aesthetic to a T. Dust lined the countertops and shelves, which were already cluttered with various miscellaneous items. The room was dimly lit and the entire place smelt like old change. But, there was one thing that caught my eye.

It looked to by some kind of capsule machine, only, not a regular one… A Monokuma capsule machine? Half of it was painted black, and the other half white, the glass filled with the capsules still clearly visible. Red and yellow lights clunkily stood on the sides, standing out more than Monokuma’s face on the bottom of the machine, which also had the word ‘MonoMono’ written on it.

_This must’ve been what Mukuro was talking about._

I took a step closer, placing my hands around the sides of it, I attempted to pick it up, just to see what would happen. Monokuma didn’t need to intervene because it was very clearly firmly glued to the countertop. I took a thinking pose, tapping my thumb on the edge of my cheek before nodding to myself. There was a small slot on the side that seemed if it took the coins, so I put one in. Monokuma’s face turned a few times before a capsule far too large to come out of the small slot appeared, rolling onto the countertop. 

I picked it up with both hands and pulled it apart, and out fell a can of soda right onto the countertop with a slightly-muted metallic _clang_. I blinked a couple times, wondering what a *soda can* of all things was doing inside of a capsule vendor. But admittedly, it was far from the strangest thing I had seen in the last two days.

“‘Cola Cola’?” I read out as I held the can in my hand, examining it carefully. “Contains a highly stimulating almost addictive sweetness… Pair it with some junk food for a can’t miss combo…” I blinked as I flipped it around. “One-hundred and fifty-nine grams of sugar?!”

I lowered the can down onto the countertop, not planning to drink what I considered to be ‘death-in-a-can’ in the slightest.

_Maybe I’ll just leave it in the fridge, but then again… I can’t let anyone drink this._

I sighed and inserted another coin. Another capsule came out as expected, this one slightly bigger than the last. I shook it with both hands before opening it. Out popped a brown globe that was no bigger than a softball which also came with a small card. It read: _Prince Shotoku’s Globe - A spherical representation of Earth, about the size of a softball. Some believe it to be an ‘OOPArt’ since it depicts a round Earth, despite being many centuries old._

_These are my pulls, huh?_

I wasn’t too sure how to carry both of my rewards, so I just awkwardly held them in my hands. For something that just came out of a capsule vendor, the cola was ice-cold. I sighed, lazily placing it in my jacket pocket, the condensation still cold against my skin despite the layers of cloth separating it.

After that, my next objective was clear. I had to search every nook and cranny of this store. Having only one set of eyes was a bit disappointing, but I did what I could on my own. I was assaulted by dust and grime as I examined the shelves and moved the trinkets aside. Sometimes, I couldn’t resist the urge to cough. This place was relentless. 

_Maybe I could get someone to help clean up later._

But no matter how much I searched, like all the other times before, I couldn’t find anything. This place was completely barren of all clues… and it was the last place I needed to search. Tiredly, I sat atop the countertop, resting my elbows against my knees, cradling my face with my hands with a slight pout.

I didn’t even notice when the bells jingled, signaling someone else’s arrival.

“Hina?”

The familiar voice called out to me and I recognized it right away.

“Hey, Makoto,” I said, turning my head to look at him, though not bothering the change my expression. “What’s up?”

Makoto placed his hands on his hips and shook his head. “I’m sorry, Hina… Sakura and I couldn’t find anything.”

“I know,” I said. “I would have suspected that already. Sayaka and I haven’t found anything either. We searched everywhere.”

“Ah, so did Sakura, Mukuro and I…” I scratched the back of his head. “I was pretty sure we’d find something, but it seems like whoever is controlling Monokuma is covering their tracks pretty well, huh?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Huh?”

“I’m sorry,” I repeated, folding my arms. “It didn’t work out. I thought it would, like, that we’d find *something*, but we didn’t find anything. And I was… so sure too.”

Makoto looked at me carefully, the sides of his lips tugging downward. I turned my gaze to him and we looked into each other’s eyes for a few seconds before he began moving closer to me, ever-so-slowly. He saddled himself on the countertop next to me and placed his hand onto my back.

“Are you moping?” he asked.

“Huh?”

“Oh, sorry… Is that awkward…?”

“No, I didn’t really hear, did you ask if I’m moping…?”

He looked off to the side, his cheeks slightly stained with pink. “That’s what I did, but hearing you say it back to me it’s a little embarrassing…”

I paused, looking off to the opposite side, my muscles getting slightly tenser before ultimately relaxing again. “Yeah,” I sighed. “I guess I am… I don’t… really *know* why, but I am. I guess I’m disappointed. I *really* wanted to find something and get out.”

“Yeah, me too…” He scooted across on the countertop, placing his hands onto his knees as fists. He looked forward, gazing at the wall as if there was something that I couldn’t see there. “But, I guess that isn’t the case. But even then, who’s to say we can’t be optimistic?”

“Huh…?”

“You heard me,” he said. “We can’t give up here. We aren’t going to give up here either. We don’t need to give up. There are other ways to get out of here.”

“Like killing?”

“Well, yeah I guess…?” Makoto exhaled, turning back to me. “But that’s not how I want to get out, and it’s not how I plan to get out either. And you know it too. And you and I know that the Aoi Asahina I know isn’t this pessimistic.”

I pouted slightly, digging my fingers into my arms. “Thanks…”

“It was worth a shot…”

I shook my head. “No, no, you’re right. One-hundred percent. It’s just… I guess I just want to let my feelings take over a little right now. It’s so I don’t lose my sanity.”

“W-Well,” he stuttered, moving a bit closer. “We’re friends, aren’t we? If you want to talk, I’m here to listen if something’s bothering you.”

“Well, I dunno…”

I wasn’t too sure how to act. It was like my brain had a complete sensory overload. I subconsciously moved closer to him, my muscles still tense, and in my mind, I attempted to reason with the thoughts in my mind—to arrange the disarray of debilitating thoughts into words… or even more coherent ones. My mouth opened and closed a couple times before I was finally able to say something. It was in the most basic form I could word it in.

“I’m scared,” I said, my voice quiet. “That’s what.”

“That’s okay, Hina. You’re right to be scared, I am too…” he reassured. “It’s completely okay to be scared after everything that’s happened.”

I looked back to him. “Yeah, but I mean, here’s the thing. You, and Mukuro, and Sayaka, some other people too… You all have so much faith in me…” I paused. “I feel like you all see me in a leader type of way… and it’s scary, because what if I don’t live up to it.”

“Huh?” he asked, sounding genuinely shocked at that. “Well, I don’t really think that’s the case…? I can’t really talk for everyone else, but to me, you’re just my friend, Hina. There’s nothing wrong about that?”

“Well, no, maybe I’m rambling then,” I lapped my legs, looking up to the ceiling. “Maybe it’s something else and I don’t really know… I don’t really know, I just feel *bad*… Do you know what I mean?”

 

Makoto flinched but slowly nodded. “I do,” he said quietly.

“Makoto…?” I asked, concerned. 

“I’m fine.” He put his hand up and smiled. “Don’t worry about it, I just get how you feel. It’s a bad feeling, yeah. But, maybe it’s stress.”

“Maybe,” I repeated. “Hey.”

He looked off to the side before looking back at me. “Yeah?”

“Why are you doing this for me?”

“What do you mean?”

“We’ve known each other for two days, and you aren’t the first. Mukuro, Sayaka, Sakura, you all try to cheer me up. You realize that we haven’t exactly known each other for a really long time, right…? I would shrug it off if you were the first person, but it just keeps happening.”

He shrugged. “I’m not them, so I wouldn’t really know,” he laughed. “But, I *do* know that I don’t really like seeing my friends sad, so it just seemed natural. I could ask you the same thing. You try to cheer people up a lot. Why do you do it?”

“Well, it’s the right thing to do, right?” I asked. “We all need to be encouraged so that we can keep going. I told you about my brother, right?”

“Yeah.”

“His name is Yuta,” I stared. “I started swimming when I was eight, and he’s two years younger, so he was six. Even then, he was always cheering me on from every stadium. He went to every competition I had no matter what he had to do. He was always there for me… and I feel like *that* is part of why I’m as good as I am, not to brag or anything, of course. I’ve just always gotten strength from someone cheering me on, so I guess I learned from that. That’s why I do it, I guess… It’s just instinctual. Do I really do it that often?”

“You tell me,” he said. “Mukuro told me about how you like to recite what an American president says.”

“Oh right,” I nervously giggled. “I have a truckload of quotes to tell myself whenever I start having doubts. I know a lot more than that one, I know a whole bunch of others. But I like quotes from athletes the most.”

“I see…? Well, do you think you were telling them to us or do you think you were telling them to yourself?”

I contemplated Makoto’s words, slightly shocked by the question, but… actually unsure of the answer. It took a few seconds for me to decide on my answer.

“Both,” I told him. “I…I think it was a bit of both… Maybe.”

“That’s okay. It doesn’t really matter, I was just curious…”

Silence took over our conversation for about twenty seconds before I spoke again.

“Well, um, you know about my brother. So tell me about your sister… Her name is uh, it’s… Komaru, right…?”

“Right,” he responded. “She’s a lot like you. I think both of our younger siblings really influence us in the same way. I don’t really… do much, not like you or anyone else does, but she’s been there for me during some hard times. She encourages me a lot, even though we do have the normal sibling fights and all that. Our relationship obviously isn’t perfect. But, I won’t deny one fact. *She* is the reason I’m so optimistic.”

“She’s the reason…?”

He tensed himself, swinging his legs back and forth. “Yeah…?”

I noticed he had looked slightly uncomfortable, so I decided not to press him any further. I only nodded, taking what he said as fact.

“Okay. Well, I dunno, maybe you’d like to share sibling stories sometime? Sayaka’s asked me to tell her some stories about Yuta.”

“With her?”

“I’d ask… if that’s what you’d want.”

He chuckled. “I think *she* remembers Komaru. I don’t think I have a story that she doesn’t know.”

“Huh…?”

“Komaru loves Sayaka. She *is* an idol. Well, I guess that’s a bit stereotypical. Sayaka and I never really used to talk much, but she’d always urge me to. In middle school, we *did* have a couple classes together, but that was really the extent of our relationship, however, I do think she has a sneaking suspicion of remembering me as ‘The Brother of the Girl Who Would Not Let Go of Her That One Time.’”

“Oh wow, that happened?” I asked, eyes wide.

“Mhm,” he said, his smile growing a bit larger. “That happened. It was pretty funny, but uh, I don’t really know if she’d really… *want* me bringing it up… And I’m not really sure if I’d want to like, test that anyway…”

“Gotcha,” I said with a nod. I paused for a few seconds, silence overtaking our conversation once more before I finally spoke again. “Thanks again…”

“It’s uh, it’s not really a problem… We’re friends anyways, right…? It’s just what friends do for each other when we’re in our time of need…”

“Right…” I said, before pausing again for a few seconds. “…Hey?”

“Hm…?”

“Well, there’s two things,” I started. “Or, now I guess three…? Anyways, where’s Sakura?”

“I think she’s still looking around, or maybe she went back into her room, or is having lunch right now?”

“Okay, that’s the first thing. Now the second. How did Mukuro end up… you know…?”

“Ah.” Makoto cringed. “It’s a not-so-funny story. We were in the gym and I accidentally knocked over a sword covered in gold something… I think it was glitter… It apparently fell so hard that it uh, it *broke* Mukuro’s arm somehow. I don’t really feel like the Ultimate Lucky Student so much now…” he said, subsequently laughing nervously. “Is she still… you know…?”

“Yeah,” I said, nodding. “I don’t think she’s okay. She’s very *clearly* out of it. I think she’s—”

“High on the morphine?” Makoto finished for me.

“Yeah… You know how she loves it…”

“I just hope she doesn’t *overdose*.”

“She’s dealt with it before, I think she’ll be fine. Sayaka’s watching her right now… So she’s okay… Probably.”

“She is. I believe she is. Don’t worry about that.”

“Yeah,” I said.

“Well, uh, what’s the third thing…?” he asked.

“Huh…?”

“You said that there were three things, right…? So what’s the third…?”

“Oh, uh,” I blushed, “well… That’s a little… embarrassing…”

“Embarrassing…?” he asked.

“Well, *yeah*,” I said. “You don’t need to repeat the word… But, it’s… it’s uh… can I have a hug…? I think I just… really need one right now.”

“A… A *hug*...?” He moved away slightly, fiddling with the cuffs on his jacket. “Um… yes. Yes, of course. I’ve never really hugged any girls other than my sister.”

“Oh, shoot! Um, I can tell I made it awkward,” I motioned my index finger in a circle around his nose, my cheeks darkening, “by the look on your face… I uh, I’m sorry…”

He shook his head, scratching the top of his head. “No, no… it’s fine… it’s just… strange is all, but, n-no, I’ll do it…”

“Only if you’re sure,” I said softly. “I don’t want to force you into anything because I feel like I need it…”

He chuckled shyly. “It’s just a hug, Hina… It doesn’t really have to mean anything…”

I nodded, holding out my arms, waiting for him. Anxiously, he moved closer and awkwardly wrapped his hands around my back, and I reciprocated the action, albeit a bit less awkwardly, resting my head on his shoulder.

_This feels nice…_

“Sorry for this,” I said.

“O-Oh, well, you know, it’s r-really not a problem,” he reassured, his voice cracking at points. “I kind of just wanted to purchase something though, I didn’t expect all of this.” 

He laughed and I sighed, releasing him and hopping down from the countertop, stretching.

“Yeah, double-sorry. Uh, thanks though..” I folded my arms and looked to my right in an attempt to avoid eye contact. “I really needed that.”

“No, n-no, it’s fine, Hina.” He hopped down himself. “I’m gonna try my luck again later, right now, I think I should check on Mukuro. I would feel a little bad if I didn’t. I’ll just come by before nighttime.”

“If you’re sure. Do you wanna uh, leave now then?”

He nodded. “Yeah.”

And with that, we departed, heading straight for the nurse’s office.


	21. To Fix Our Problems

“Hey,” I announced upon peeking my head through the nurse’s office.

“Shh!” Sayaka immediately shushed, placing her index finger against her lips. “She’s *sleeping*.”

“Oh, sorry about that!” I whisper-shouted. “Makoto’s here as well.”

Makoto peeked in himself, offering Sayaka a little wave, which she in turn returned.

“Come in you two, just be quiet,” Sayaka said. “It was absolute hell to get her to sleep in the first place. You know a kid that you try to get to sleep but just *can’t*? That’s Mukuro. One-hundred percent.” She outstretched her hand and pulled it towards her a couple times. “Come on.”

I looked at Makoto, cocking my head slightly. “Tip-toe?”

“That’s uh, a little stupid…” he said with a chuckle. “But, I will if you want, I guess…”

“No tip-toe,” I said.

He nodded. “Got it.”

I took the first step, letting the heel of my sneaker rest of the ground as softly and as mutely as I could. It wasn’t a particularly long step, but I was sure to test the waters first. The last thing I wanted was to wake up an ebullient Ultimate Soldier who I was almost sure could fight through the pain regardless. I nodded my head sideways to Makoto as if to say “On my lead,” and punctiliously repeated the action again and again, switching my gaze between the floor and the soothed nice girl-turned-possible-killing-machine until I was right by her bedside staring over her.

Her hair was slatternly—the browns of dirt and greys of grime mixing with her raven-colored hair to give it an unsightly finish. It didn’t look as bad as her face, however, which suffered from multiple red marks and bruising, as well as a splotch of blood that seemed to be previously running down her cheek which Sayaka must’ve cleaned. Despite all that, however, the sides of her lips pulled upwards to form a pleasant, happy smile. In its own way, the scene was devastatingly-beautiful.

But I was sure she wasn’t in this state before.

I looked at Sayaka with a look of concern. “What *happened*?” 

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“You know, she looks worse than when I left her…” I stated. “Did something happen…?”

“Oh, uh,” Sayaka wedged bottom lip between her teeth and her eyes darted to look across the room. “She *fell*,” she said sotto voice.

_Why do I believe that’s not all there is to it…?_

“Fell how?” I questioned further.

Sayaka sighed and lowered her head, lapping her legs in her chair. “It’s my fault… I thought I could serenade her, by, you know, singing; making good use of my talent. Only she tried to cover her ears because it was a song she didn’t like… and in turn, she rolled off the bed and hit the ground and kept flailing.”

“Oh,” I cringed at that. 

“She screamed,” Sayaka said with a frown. “My singing can’t be that bad, can it…?”

“It can’t,” Makoto chimed in. “I think you sound great. You are the Ultimate Pop Sensation, right?”

Sayaka chuckled and smiled. “That I am. Thank you, Makoto.”

“Mind if I ask what song it was in the first place?” I asked.

“I thought she would like the,” her smile grew more sheepish and she closed her eyes, “the Japanese Independence Song…?”

I blinked. “Huh?”

“The independence song of our great country,” she repeated sardonically. “She’s a soldier, isn’t she? Should I have tried another one?”

“Uh,” I scratched my head, “I dunno? You’re asking the wrong person… Maybe you should have tried a lullaby…?”

“I did that next,” the pop star stated. “It worked. So lesson learned. Anyhow,” she looked at the brown-haired boy next to me, “hi, Makoto. Why are you here? Also, how are you?”

“Me? I’m uh, I’m okay. I’m here because Sakura and I are done our investigation.”

“Did you find anything?”

He shook his head. “Nothing of note, really.”

Sayaka closed her eyes and nodded, subsequently sighing. “Though so.”

“We just need to have faith,” he said with a little smirk. “Things will probably turn out okay.”

The popstar reopened her eyes. “I appreciate the optimism… I’m sure you can understand if I’m still a little unsure, but,” she sighed again, “I’ll try. Anyway, Mukuro. I think this is my top priority right now.”

“She’s sleeping peacefully,” I commented.

“She’s doing alright,” Sayaka said. “I don’t think she’ll be high when she wakes up. I’m just going to let her get her rest.”

“Right,” I said with a nod. “She’ll be alright.”

“I’m sure her arm is going to hurt like hell though,” Sayaka stated, folding her arms. She turned her head to look at Mukuro. “Poor girl. She’ll definitely need someone to look after her after all of this is said and done.”

“I’ll do it,” Makoto volunteered with a raise of his right hand. “It’s kind of my fault anyways. I should do it.”

“Oh, right, she did say that,” Sayaka mused. “How did that even happen…?”

“Uh, I don’t even really know myself…” He looked off to his right side. “I was like magic. A sword in the trophy room fell once I bumped into the shell on accident. It came out of its hilt and ugh…” he winced, “cut into her arm. It was absolutely gruesome.”

“Yikes,” I said, wincing myself as I imagined the monstrosity that must’ve been that scene.

“Yikes indeed,” Sayaka commented. “I thought you were the Ultimate *Lucky* Student…”

“Maybe the luck comes in that it wasn’t the whole shelf that fell…” Makoto said, still wincing but very clearly joking.

Sayaka couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “Maybe you’re right. Anyway, she’s a soldier, right? She would be used to it right.”

“Nooot necessarily,” I said smiling sheepishly. “But, she’ll probably be okay.”

“Not necessarily?” Sayaka questioned.

“Don’t worry about it,” I said.

“Anyway, Hina, you know we’ll have to report,” Sayaka said.

“Report?” I asked.

“To Taka and everyone else,” Makoto said. “We all did investigate. But, we didn’t really find anything..."

I frowned. “Oh… that’s right, isn’t it…?”

“Yeah,” Sayaka said. “We’ll have to tell them at dinner, won’t we? It’ll be pretty okay? Celeste will go on about her adaptability spiel though.”

“Yeah, it really makes Junko mad,” Makoto commented. “I hope that nothing happens between them, really…”

“We can only hope,” I said. “So what’re you guys gonna do now?

“I’ll stay and look after Mukuro,” Makoto said. “I think I should.”

“I…” Sayaka paused. “I don’t know… really? There isn’t really much to do here that I can think of off the top of my head. I’m tired of most of the rooms by now. I have absolutely no clue…” She looked at the brown-haired boy. “Makoto do you want some company? We could whisper-talk while she sleeps.”

Makoto smiled and turned to look at her. “I could do that.” He then turned back to me. “What about you, Hina? What do you want to do now?”

I pondered Makoto’s question carefully, flipping through all the possibilities in my mind like pages in a book. There really wasn’t much to do here. It would be *hard* to imagine that we would have to live out the rest of our lives in a place as dreary and dull as bricks like this. But, there was one possibility that kept intriguing me, although risky.

“I think,” I started, my tone emanating a lack of confidence, “I want to talk to Toko again after what happened this morning. I think that I owe her a bit of an apology in case I hurt her feelings…”

“This morning?” Sayaka questioned “Um, am I missing something?”

“Yeah,” Makoto said. “It’s not really a super big deal, but Hina told Toko something that made her upset about her parents. She meant it as a compliment, but I think Toko has some issues with them, maybe…”

“Geez, don’t say it like that,” I said frowning. “I didn’t know and I *don’t* know the situation. If we’re all gonna be here together, the least I can do is apologize to her…”

“I’m more wondering if she’d even let you in,” Makoto said. “I don’t doubt that she’s in her room, but even if so, do you think she’d want to talk to you?”

“I don’t know,” I said with a slight shrug. “I *can* try though. It would be the right thing to do and I don’t want her thinking that I hate her or anything like that. I’ll just tell her sorry and ask to talk. It may be a little bit of a battle,” I grabbed the sides of my jacket and squeezed, “but I’ll make it work.”

“Well, I think she can,” Sayaka said with a smirk. “Good luck, okay? Do your best.”

“You’re acting like she’s about to go to a swimming competition,” Makoto joked. “But, yeah definitely what she said. Give it your best, okay?”

“I will,” I stood up and began walking to the door, passing Makoto who took my seat in turn before stopping in the doorway and offering them both a smirk of confidence, “and that you two.”

“No problem,” they both said in unison.

“Jinx!” Sayaka instantly teased, sticking her tongue out and poking Makoto’s nose with her index finger.

“Shh,” he whispered. “You’re being too loud!”

“Oops!” She covered her hands with her mouth. “Sorry…”

I giggled and waved at them as I exited the room, pausing and sighing at the doorway. I needed a second to collect my bearings. I knew what I was about to do would be no easy feat, so I took some time to plan out all the possibilities like an android from a sci-fi movie and barely any of them went well. I was normally *good* in a social situation, so why was this so *hard*? 

I sighed.

_May as well wing it. I shouldn’t stay any longer._

Not really having much of a plan, I took the usual route through the now-familiar hallways to the _Despair Hotel_. As much as I hated it, I had grown familiar with the layout. This place was starting to feel like home—a hell for the damned to those with Ultimate talents, sure—but home nonetheless. Instead, it was a place to make sinners, not take them.

_Maybe I’m being too cynical…_

I sighed again. I wasn’t conscious of my legs, but once I was freed from my nihilistic thoughts I was right in front of Toko’s door, staring up at the pixel art of her that placed right above her door. 

It was do or die time.

Thinking about everything that could go wrong one last time, I knocked on the door three times, trying to see if I could be lucky and get a response. The sound of the knocking resonated in the hallway, but that was about it. Not a call, not a whisper, not even a knock back. Was she even there? 

I thought—just to be safe—that I’d try it again. So, I did, except this time a bit more aggressively, letting the knuckles of my hand mash against the wooden door quickly. To my surprise, I heard some rummaging from behind the door—like someone was scuttling about. At this, I raised an eyebrow, slightly curious about the scene going on behind-closed-doors.

“Toko…? It’s me, Hina.” I called out, sure to keep my tone friendly and my voice quiet.

The noises behind the door grew louder and in a way, of all things it could have sounded like, it sounded like a sledgehammer slamming against a concrete floor. That had me a little worried.

_Did she fall?!_

My muscles tensed and I took a step back, slightly surprised as the door opened ever-so-slightly to the point where a single mauve eye appeared from between the small crack in the doorway. Even though I couldn’t see her full face, I could read her like a book. Her pupil dilated and her iris twitched as she stared into my eyes.

“G-Go away,” she muttered. “A-Are you just here to laugh at me? Y-You heard me. Scram…!”

“Toko.” I placed my hand on the wall, letting the tips of my fingers rest right before the start of the doorway. “Please… I just want to talk. I’m not here to laugh at you. I’m just here to apologize. I know that I may have hurt you this morning and I just wanted to say I’m sorry…”

There was a slight silence as Toko looked at the ground before back up to my eyes. I noticed that the door closed faintly.

“O-Okay, you said it,” her tone full of hostility. “N-Now is th-that all…? Wh-Why are you still here…?”

“I… I don’t know. I don’t really have anything else to do, so… I thought that… Oh, I dunno. I wanted to spend some time uh,” I smiled sheepishly, “with you. That maybe we could get to know each other a little bit…?”

Toko’s eye went noticeably wide at that, and in fact, I noticed her whole face start to shake violently as well.

“Y-You what…? Y-Y-You want to b-be with *me*?!” She opened the door further to the point where I could see about half of her face. The wordsmith anxiously nibbled on her bottom lip. “Wh-What are you plotting, y-you idiot bimbo swimmer…?”

My body tensed at her words, but I showed resilience to her homicidal-sounding words. I simply shook my head and said, “No,” softly before taking a deep breath in a and continuing. “I’m not plotting anything. I just… thought it would be nice. I can leave if I’ve… already ruined my chances with you,” I raised my hands to about shoulder-length, “but honest to God, I kind of just wanted to see how you were doing and maybe hang out… I don’t really have anything else to do anyway…”

“S-So I’m the r-rebound,” Toko muttered beneath her breath but just loud enough for me to hear.

“Huh? No, it’s nothing like that,” I reassured, letting my hands fall back to my sides.

“F-F-Fine,” Toko muttered aggressively. “You,” she paused for a moment, her tone taking on a much softer… and maybe even meek nature, “you c-can spend s-some time with m-m-me, I g-guess… B-But… you c-can’t come in… w-we can talk in the hallway…”

I wanted to ask why we couldn’t just enter her room, but I soon realized that that was not the brightest question nor best course of action, so I stepped away from the doorway and at least ten feet away from her, in general, to give her some personal space.

Toko slowly followed outside like an abused animal being let out into the sunlight again, her eyes fixed on me for each step. She shuddered like she was just hit with an Arctic chill and took a deep breath in and then subsequently exhaled, immediately moving her eyes from me and playing with her fingers. 

_Does she want me to start the conversation…? I don’t want it to end up like last time… What should I even ask…?_

“Toko…?” I called.

She flicked her eyes back to me. “H-Hmm?”

“What’s your… favorite way to waste time?”

“H-Huh?”

“You know, I mean, what are your pastimes? What do you like to do when you’re not… writing, I guess?”

“Why d-do you wanna know…?”

“Well, I mean, I did come to talk to you. It’s curiosity, I guess. I know all my hobbies don’t revolve around swimming… or other sports… uh, mostly. If we’re trapped in here together, we should get to know each other a little, right?”

She scowled. “N-Now I see… Th-That’s the worst way to m-mix your words, y-you idiot swimmer… Th-That’s strike one.”

“Huh…?”

“Strike one,” Toko repeated. “I d-don’t need to repeat myself. It makes it s-seems like y-you j-just want to get close to m-me to exploit me… G-Get to know my w-weaknesses. Wh-Why should I tell you…?”

_Geez, this is kind of a headache._

“Well,” I started, resisting the urge to roll my eyes. “Well, so we can get to know each other—not as enemies, but as allies. Maybe even friends, if you wanted.”

Her eyes widened in shock. “Wh-What did you just say…?”

“About?”

“That part after b-being a-allies. D-Did y-you say… as… *friends*...?”

“Well, yeah…?” I gave her a look of confusion. “I *did* say I’d like to get to know you better. I wouldn’t see any problem in us trying to be friends…”

“S-Strike two…” she muttered. “Y-You’ve h-hurt me once before. H-How do I know you’re n-not gonna do it again…?”

I sighed. “Well, when you call me things like ‘idiot bimbo swimmer’, those words hurt too. I’m not trying to hurt you, I’m genuinely getting to know you. You can have whatever boundaries you want, but I’m not trying to hurt you or exploit you.”

She grunted, taking a few seconds before speaking. “I like reading… I r-read all kinds of literature, but there are two genres that I d-don’t like. I despise Young Adult, but I hate manga e-even more. All forms of it.”

I couldn’t help but feel a little proud of myself at getting her to open up, even if it wasn’t much. It brought the slightest of smiles to my face, but Toko just looked at me strangely, raising an eyebrow at my expression.

“Well, what’s so wrong with those genres?”

“Manga *isn’t* exactly a genre, firstly, but it *i-is* a form of literature. I-It’s bad in a self-explanatory w-way. It d-doesn’t qualify b-because it just doesn’t…”

“How?”

Toko groaned. “It d-doesn’t because it’s a st-stupid picture book w-written by a-amateurs. Th-They usually cover s-something unreason or u-u-unrealistic, and some are… extremely perverted. I could go on and on, b-but I’m sure even *you* can get the point.”

“Huh?” I narrowed my eyes. “What do you mean even me?”

The author looked away and mumbled something to herself. “Nothing.”

I just sighed. “Should I ask about Young Adult instead then?”

“W-What do you mean *should*,” she spat. “I-I can t-t-tell you why it’s bad, but slightly better than m-manga… It’s n-not a should thing.”

“Alright then. Enlighten me.”

“F-Firstly, th-the ‘pretty-but-not-really’ ch-characters… You know, how the protagonist i-is a,” she changed her voice to a whine, “th-the petite girl who has the d-dark brown h-hair a-and the bright green eyes who apparently isn't all that attractive.” She rolled her eyes. “I h-hate books like that. G-Give me a character that’s *actually* ugly. T-Then there’s the *other* end of th-the spectrum. T-The b-badass female. Ugh… The one that c-can kill fifteen men with just a sh-shiv in two seconds. That’s just *one* of the m-multitude of problems in YA…”

“Oh…” I blinked. “Just… *one*?”

“M-Mhm…?” She looked up at my eyes, pushing her fingers together. “I-It’s only one. Young Adult tends to h-have a plethora of problems…”

“Well, um, is there one Young Adult book that you like?” I asked.

“A couple with interesting premises. L-Like _A Wrinkle in Time_ , for example. It’s a classic.”

“Right… Well, can I ask another quick question. I *am* curious about this kind of…”

“K-Kind of?” Toko questioned.

“Not kind of,” I said. “I am. You wrote _So Lingers the Ocean_ in English, right? Do you prefer writing in English or Japanese?”

“Th-That’s… a surprisingly good question.” Toko’s lips curled into a smile… which was a first. It was like an absolute contrast to the systematic, weaponized ranting prior. “I prefer Japanese… I think th-there’s a beauty in the language. E-Even though a lot of people don’t really speak it much nowadays, e-even inside of Japan. E-English being a u-universal language has made life a little easier, I-I suppose, but I still think there’s a complexity in Japanese that more people should appreciate.”

“Uh, yeah…?”

Toko mumbled to herself bitterly before saying, “You d-don’t get it, d-do you…?”

“Uh, I kinda do…” I said. “Maybe my head isn’t in the right place. I’ve been out and about all day. But, I enjoyed our talk.”

Weirdly enough, her smile took on a creepy aura. Her eyes narrowed and her mouth formed an unworldly arc that stretched up to her reddened cheeks.

“O-Oh, you did?” she asked gleefully. “I-I see… W-Well, I’m sure you’re lying, b-but, if I feel like it, I c-can entertain you another time…”

“Uh… sure? I wouldn’t mind if you wanted to talk again, and I’m not lying. I think I uh… I learned a lot… I… I think…? But, if you want to hang, I’m cool with that. Actually, no. I’m sure I’d like to speak again.”

“H-Huh…?” 

Her smile faded and she took a step back, her eyes darted off to the doorway and then back to me. She blinked, seemingly unsure of how to process this situation. She simply stared at me, her eye twitching. 

I decided I should speak first. “To—”

“Graaaah! It burns! It *burns*!” she screamed. “Your kindness! It *burns*!”

Before I even had a chance to reply to that, she retreated into her room, slamming the door behind her. That was the end of that. I wondered if I should try to ring the doorbell, but… I decided it was best if I probably left her alone for now. Instead, I just went back to my own room to relax before dinner.


	22. Lies

Even though I remembered it in blotches, I was sure the meeting went exactly as expected. Taka had arrived first, I greeted him, reported my failings, and apologized. He donned the facade of being a strong leader, telling me that at least I had tried my best, but the disquiet in his words was still apparent. I couldn’t help but feel bad.

When everyone else poured into the cafeteria—Makoto, Sayaka, and Mukuro excluded—Taka then relayed what I had told him, and in turn, damned everyone to a fate of listening to another one of Celeste’s crazed yet understandable adaptability ramblings, which angered Junko and caused the two to bicker as they did yesterday.

Honestly, I didn’t really pay attention. Fatigue’s curse had begun to take its toll over my physique and forced my eyelids down to the earth as if it was by the force of the gravity itself along with my entire head.

I had no idea how long I had slept. I only know that I had luckily managed to wake up at the most convenient time—the ending of the meeting. So naturally, I dispersed along with everyone else, not really giving the atmospheric small talk much scrutiny. 

I hadn’t noticed it before, but I was *damn* tired.

So clearly, it was obvious where I had made my next destination. 

_Home Sweet Home._

It wasn’t, but for the time being, at least I decided to fool myself in my delusions. It took my mind off of the suffocating situation.

I flopped onto the bed lazily and stared up to the bland the ceiling, occasionally making sure to blink. I had never experienced in all my years experienced the feeling of being *too tired to be bored*. And considering all the exercises that others would call ‘extreme’, that was saying something.

It wasn’t as much as a physical fatigue as it was a mental fatigue. It was like taking a test you didn’t know the answers to, only amplify that feeling by twenty-million. It was what I would call ‘brain-death’.

Time itself didn’t exist. Not anymore. Not in this place. And certainly not now. So I just laid and stared at the void that was the ceiling, probably dozing off intermittently. For how long, I still had no clue, I just knew in a hilarious turn of events *he* would be the one that ended waking me up from my slumber.

“Mm, ahem, this is a school announcement. It is now ten PM. As such, it is officially nighttime. Soon the doors to the dining hall will be locked, and entry at this point will be strictly prohibited. Okay then… sweet dreams, everyone! Good night, sleep tight, don’t let the bedbugs bite…”

By the time the nighttime announcement had finished, I was completely awake, sitting upright and eyes reddened from forgotten dreams. I could only stare at the screen as it faded to black.

I wasn’t sure how I felt… I guess the best way to describe it would’ve been ‘neutral’. And that was the scary part about it. The last thing I wanted to grow accustomed to was being a prisoner of whatever crime I know I didn’t commit.

I laid onto the bed and closed my eyes again in an attempt to return to unconsciousness, but it was difficult. It was like the atmosphere was taunting me. One second it was too hot; the next, too cold. The bed wasn’t comfortable enough, the pillow was too hard, now I’m sweaty. All those inconveniences I that seemed to fake, yet so real that prevented me from sleeping. But, I was sure of one thing. I was *hungry*.

_I need a snack._

Feet touching the ground, I sighed, lazily making my way towards the door and placing my hand on the knob. As I did, however, I remembered the exact reason *why* I shouldn’t go outside. The nighttime rule was in effect.

Raising my hand, I hesitated. On one hand, I was experiencing agonizing hunger and *knew* I wouldn’t be able to sleep until it was quelled, but on the other, I wasn’t in the mood to get killed by complete coincidence. 

_No… no… I shouldn’t…._

I sighed, removing my hand from the knob.

_But, I’m an athlete… I’m faster than everyone. I run every day, no one would be able to catch me…_

I placed my hand back onto it.

_But, I’d be betraying everyone’s trust…! But… no, they’d understand. I could just tell the truth… I’d have people who’d vouch for me if they ever saw me. I should be okay. No one should… even be out anyway. We all trust each other. We agreed not to go out at nighttime…_

I had made up my mind. I couldn’t sleep like this. Especially when it just hurt too badly. A took a deep breath and closed my eyes before twisting the knob.

_I need this…_

It wasn’t an urge—it was a need. My stomach was my adversary, convulsing; pulling me into the realm of discomfort. I didn’t know why it was happening—nervousness, nerves?—and maybe I’ll never know. At that point, I was only thinking one thing.

_I *need* this…_

I opened the door and stepped outside. Quiet. Like in the mornings, it was an academy of specters—the haunting feeling of slight guilt looming like a curse as my only company was the wretched sound of my own footsteps as I went through the hallway. 

I didn’t make any stops and I didn’t want to be caught; I just went straight for the kitchen without stopping. I felt a little bad about what I was looking for, but there was only one true option here. I wanted donuts, and thankfully, they weren’t hard to find. They were simply sitting on the counter, calling me through the sense of smell.

My eyes lit up and my stomach rumbled with glee as I smelled them, and I instantly went to hover over the pastries. 

_So many flavors! Oh, they have jelly-filled too! Wait, are those *raspberry* donuts?!_

The overpowering smell and lust for my favorite treats dulled my senses and made me stupid—unaware. I didn’t even notice that in this place, I wasn’t alone.

“You shouldn’t be here.”

The voice caught me off-guard and made me jump. My muscles tenses and my eyes dilated, and I contemplated breaking into a sprint. I couldn’t just run though, that wouldn’t help anything, and even then, her words pierced through my ears and paralyzed my legs, rendering me immobile. Out of all the possible options, it had to be *her*.

_Celeste?!_

Celestia Ludenberg. I had recognized that accent anywhere. The one that suggested we imposed the nighttime rule in the first place. Seeing her here was a shock, but… I was no short of terrified. Slowly, I spun on my heels and saw the eyes of the devil looking right back at me, with an expression of pure seriousness. She was seated at one of the tables by herself, a cup of tea set right next to her, the smell of lemon lightly permeating the air. A single black fingernail tapped against the desk, red eyes fixed on mine, burning into my memory an expression I wouldn’t soon forget.

“I… I was hungry,” I answered. “So, I came out for something.” I gulped, clenching my fists. “That was it, really…”

Celeste could probably feel the fear radiating from me. I was the scared child who had broken the rules, and her, the adult waiting… contemplating a punishment that I was sure was soon to come. Her face said it all. Fury. Annoyance. Disappointment.

She tapped her finger against the desk one final time and let out a small, “Hmph,” her eyes narrowed into skewers. I dug my heels in place further, attempting to rid myself of the intention to run. Anything Celeste did or said, it wouldn’t be that bad. That’s what I convinced myself.

“I’m sorry,” I continued. “My tummy hurt really *really* badly! And I couldn’t sleep. It was a one-time thing. Promise.”

Her look was one of skepticism, but… I saw her concede, the lingering embers of anger flickering into the wind before finally fading into nothingness. Celeste was calm. Serene. Calculated. How she usually was. She didn’t respond at first, instead, taking the teacup and taking a sip from it, pinky up.

“Fine,” she said simply, without much of a hint of any emotion. I suppose it could be described as neutral.

“Fine?” I repeated.

She took another sip, her eyes remaining on me. “It’s fine.” I could tell a bit of… something lingered in Celeste’s words, but I was unable to pinpoint exactly what it was. Some mysterious emotion that eluded me. As expected of the Queen of Lies. She continued, “Absolutely fine. Just eat and be done soon. The nighttime rule is still in place, after all, Hina.”

After that final sentence, I had one question. 

“Why are you here?” I asked, cocking my head slightly.

“Me?”

“Shouldn’t you be sleeping too? The nighttime rule and all.”

Her eyes narrowed, and at that moment, I realized I had asked something I shouldn’t have. And I expected the worse. I clenched my fists, fingers digging deep into the palm of my hand. I readied myself, trying to prepare myself for the wrath I had surely brought upon myself. But there was nothing. Only the rising of the cup which settled against thin pink lips as it tilted, the pair of blood red eyes on me, but… they relaxed. It was strange. She put the cup back down and shifted in her seat.

“Having tea,” she responded with a casual shrug that was so ‘un-Celeste-like’. “I was thirsty too, and I figured since I put the rule in place, everyone would honor it and no one would attack me.” She smiled sweetly. “That’s fine, right?”

Honesty was weaponized in her words, or… ‘honesty’, rather. I doubted I could truly trust the Queen of Liars, but… there was something about her words. The tone of it… It didn’t seem like she was lying… but she had to be, right?

_She has to be lying. This is all too suspicious…_

Celeste coughed in an attempt to get my attention. “Hina?”

I tried to ease myself as I turned to look at her. She was still wearing that same undisturbed expression. “Huh?”

“Sit,” she said, motioning it the seat next to her. “Get your donuts and come.”

I obeyed, grabbing more than enough raspberry donuts before making my way over to her and sitting down next to her, unfolding the paper-towel wrapping I had stored them in when I had looted them.

“Yeah?” I said, daintily picking up the donut with my index and middle finger, spinning the pastry through the hole. “What’s up…?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I should be asking you the same thing. You’re free to eat, you know, but I’d recommend that you don’t make this a habit.”

“…Okay,” I said, slowly bringing the donut up to my mouth, biting into heaven. “So… yeah…”

“Mhm.” She brought the cup and sipped. “I’ve heard you explain. I believe you, Aoi.”

“You do?”

“Mhm,” she said again, the cup still against her lips before finally lowering it. “I do. I know you’re telling the truth. So, I may as well entertain you while I’m here.” Her lips curled into a pleasant smile. “Would you like to have a chat?”

I was tempted to ask what we’d have to speak about, but I put that urge aside then. I was genuinely interested in what she’d have to tell me, and if she simply wanted to spend time together, that was also fine, but… I knew what kind of possible adversary I was dealing with. So, mentally, I was in my toes; ready for anything.

“Sure,” I said, taking another bite of the donut before swallowing. “What would you like to talk about?”

“Your thoughts on this entire ordeal would be a start,” she said, quickly drumming her fingers against the table. “How do you feel about this game—especially now that you’ve found that there’s no way out.”

Her words made my heart go cold and sink to the pit of my stomach. And instinctively, I bit my lip. Shaking my head at her words.

“No, there has to be a way,” I told her, a little unsure of myself.

“Well, there is a way,” she said, plain-faced, her smile fading momentarily into an earnest expression. “To get out, you need to—”

“N-No!” I blurted out. “There has to be *another* way, Celeste. I’m not doing that one. Something else.”

Strangely, or rather, not-so-strangely for Celeste, she giggled mirthfully. “Hina, have you not realized yet?” She paused, and once again, she wore that hellish look on her face. That look of pure seriousness, all manner of jest nonexistent as if she didn’t know the meaning of the word. “There is absolutely no way out of here. We must simply adapt to our new lifestyle. There is no alternative. All attempts to escape are futile. The sooner you learn this, the better chances you have in this game.” She raised the cup up to her lips again and took a sip, psychologist-like eyes on me—examining me—before she put it back onto the table and renewed her pleasant smile. “But I’d abhor if that was all we talked about while we have this opportunity to chat.” Her fingers found themselves intertwined and nestled under her chin comfortably, to give the illusion that none of what had occurred had ever happened. A pleasant, deceitful finish. The facade of an ally. “So… what else is on your mind, Hina?”

I was left speechless. There was nothing more to it. My brain ran itself ragged trying to decipher the validity and the genuineness of her words. But as much as I wanted to deny it… she *was* convincing. If there really *was* no other way… well, I’d need another plan. Multiple other plans. Anything to keep me safe. Anything. 

I was visibly panicking. I could feel the sweat drip down my body, staining me in the liquid of unease, drenching my clothes in fear and my face in worry. And Celeste noticed, shooting me a curious glance, opening her mouth as if she wished to speak, but I cut her off.

“I’m… fine,” I said. “There’s no reason to worry about me, Celeste. Just this stuff is a little… I dunno, it’s getting to me a bit is all. Makes me worry a little…” I sighed, taking another bite of the donut before lowering it back down to the table. “If that makes sense…?”

“It absolutely does,” she responded. “The way you feel is simply a causality. It’s a matter of growing accustomed to your circumstances, which will happen in time. You need not worry. All of this will be commonplace soon enough, and your survival instincts will come with them.” She pressed her fingers to her lips at let out yet another one of those eerie giggles. “Perhaps your thoughts will change as well.”

“My thoughts?”

“On finding the way out, of course. Perhaps you’ll collapse under the weight of it all and turn to murder one of your ‘friends’.” She once again drummed her finger on the table and watched me. Watched my fear. “Tell me, Hina. Am I making you uncomfortable…? Would you rather we don’t have this chat?”

Instantly, I shook my head. “No… it’s fine, Celeste.”

She giggled once more, running her index finger along the rim of her cup idly. “Intriguing… I never took you for a liar.”

“Huh?”

“I don’t need to repeat myself,” she said mirthfully. “I called you a liar, and you are. You lied. Everyone shows certain signs when they lie. It is called a ‘tell’—something they can’t hide no matter how much they try.” Her face went dark. “Whenever *you* lie, the tip of your nose just gets a little bit longer. I’d rather we be truthful with each other.” She leaned back into her seat, legs lapped under the table and sighed. “So, it is futile to hide it. You may as well say it.”

I was left speechless for a brief moment, processing this new revelation. The mind games she must’ve played in order to figure out that one. That’s when I remembered, Celeste wasn’t just a gambler, but a mentalist also. The kinds that could read your expressions as words on a page to decipher a damning sentence.

“I-I…” I spurted out, sinking into my seat. “I’m… a little worried, yeah… A little scared.”

“And why is that?”

“Because we’re talking about something that I don’t like. I don’t *like* feeling hopeless, Celeste. It’s something that bugs me. It actually gnaws on me that we can’t find a way out. There has to be something that we can do to get out of here.”

She chuckled. “You’re the sort of person who will give in to temptation first. Discomfort breeds desperation. And when you’re desperate—your mind overrides itself, leaving you a mess of negative emotions. And, I’m sure you know what I am getting at…”

I was completely at her mercy in every way possible; wrapped around her finger like a string. But, in my mind lingered just one question. 

_Why?_

Why was she telling me this? What would she get out of it? She seemed like the sort of person who *wanted* a murder. She seemed like the kind of person who would find it ‘intriguing’ if I had snapped and killed. Where was the ulterior motive?

I stammered over my words at first, finding it even hard to formulate a sentence with all the fog that I had in my head. My fingers found their way to the table, pressing down on it hard, and I found that my appetite had desiccated.

Finally, I was able to say, “Why are you telling me this…?”

She placed her hand to her mouth, clearly shocked. “Am I not supposed to be telling you this?”

“No… it’s not that, it’s just…” I paused momentarily before continuing. “It’s a little...weird… to me… to tell me this right out of the blue, is all? I-I guess? It’s hard to put it into words.”

“I see…” she said, her voice a little lower than before. “I suppose that’s understandable. Well, Hina, then I must ask. What do you think my motives are? Better so—why do you think we’re having this conversation at this time? Why do you think I’m out here?”

“I… I don’t know to all of it,” I said simply, holding my head.

She took a long look at my face, our eyes meeting momentarily. Then, stranger yet, her lips curled downward into a melancholy expression. “I understand. Well, perhaps all will figure itself out in time then. However, know one thing, we are not enemies, and you should not think of me as such. Though, I ask that you do one thing for me.” Her eyes dulled, but even then, they snapped me in shape a bit. “Please, I ask that you tell no one that you saw me here tonight.”

“Huh? But… yeah, why are you violating the night time rule.”

“Shh,” she shushed between gritted teeth. Her expression calm, and before I knew it, she and donned one of those pleasant smiles once more. “All in time, Hina. Do you trust me?”

I bit my lip and shook my head. “Not really… no…”

I could only imagine what wrath I had brought upon myself with those words. I saw her smile remain, but her eyebrow twitched slightly along with her lip. I had struck a nerve. I contemplated asking her if that was her ‘tell’, but decided to refrain.

“Okay,” she started, her voice a bit more strained than usual, “I’m going to *ask* you to trust me. Do you think you could do that, Hina? Or *try* at the very least?”

“Um… sure? I could do that, I think.”

She sighed. “Okay. It’s a start. Then I will not betray your trust. That is all I ask. For now, it would probably be best if you get some rest. You can take your donuts back to your room if you’d like. I’ll allow it though, I recommend heading to bed now. So for now,” she raised her hand tiredly waved, “bye-bye, Hina.”

“Yeah… Bye, Celeste.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Got hit with _another_ terrible kick in the balls with life. Another sickness, then business. It's been hard to regulate. I absolutely hate when I have to go on hiatus, but I'm trying my best still. Thanks to everyone who's supported me thus far though, you all are awesome! I'm gonna try to knock out the rest of CHAPTER 1 before anything else happens, hopefully. Just, please be patient, and thank you all for being so! Thank you for supporting the development of _Danganronpa: Asahina_!


	23. Bacon and Eggs

**MONOKUMA THEATER**

Monokuma appears in the scene, wearing a black suit and tie, as well as a pair of black sunglasses, sitting on a floor that doesn’t exist. Or rather, the floor is simply crisscrossing turquoise lasers. He nods his head from side to side, donning that disquieting grin of his.

“Do you know what expectations are?” he starts off by asking before clearing his throat and continuing. “Well, according to the Oxford Dictionary, expectations are: ‘A strong belief that something will happen or be the case.’ It’s true, sometimes we think something will happen when it shouldn’t, but what happens when those expectations are completely and *utterly* crushed? People are *so* fragile when that happens. They cry, and cry, and *cry*! ‘I thought that she liked me!’, ‘I thought that character was gonna make it to the end!’, ‘I thought that I was gonna get that promotion!’, ‘I thought that my church wasn’t going to burn down!’, ‘I thought that my father wouldn’t have died in that car accident!’ I thought, I thought, I *thought*! That’s one of our biggest problems as a society! So wouldn’t it be better to get rid of expectations? You should get rid of them!”

* * *

_Ding Dong! Bing Bong!_

“Good morning, everyone! It is now seven AM, and nighttime is officially over! Time to rise and shine! Get ready to greet another bee-yutiful day!”

The sound of Monokuma’s grating voice instantly made me place a pillow over my head, shielding my ears from the passing announcement. It was another day in hell, and especially after last night, I didn’t want to remember. I couldn’t even deduce how I slept. As soon as I had returned to my room, my body shut down and I collapsed onto my bed, but I woke up in a cold sweat, feeling groggy and weak enough to fall to sleep’s curse. If there was any better way to describe it, I wanted to just sleep the day away. At this point, I wasn’t even scared, just… *done* with this place.

“Fuck,” I muttered under my breath as I placed the pillow back onto the bed and rolled over, staring at the foreign ceiling for far too long before finally getting to my feet and walking like a zombie to the bathroom.

Despite everything, I didn’t take long. I didn’t laze around in the shower, or drone on in brushing my hair, but I didn’t do it haphazardly either. Between me now and the me that had first came to Hope’s Peak, there was essentially no difference appearance-wise. I wanted to look presentable, at the very least.

Once I was finished all of my bathroom business, I looked in the mirror and pursed my lips, giving myself a curiously-approving raise of an eyebrow and my lips curled into a smirk.

_Not bad today, Hina. You feel terrible, but you look better than most days._

I walked towards the bathroom door, but then I realized something. I had no plans today. Not one. I had explored and searched as much as I needed to—or could anyway—which left me on the winds of complete freedom… or was it. More like the pits of idleness. What was I to do? I usually kept a goal in mind for most days, so this… this was different—strange—but maybe not unwelcome. I felt too fatigued in all instances to do anything too serious.

_Maybe I could hang out with someone today… Maybe Mukuro or Makoto is around._

I sighed, stepping out of the bathroom. This time, there was no Monokuma to heckle my nudity. I paused for a second, searching for the dastardly bear, but he wasn’t there. Let my muscles relax as I released an involuntary sigh of relief and continued on.

My first sense was to go to the dining hall. My stomach roared in anger despite the tired feeling, and I needed food. Badly.

The hallways were still quiet, but that all changed when a voice called out to me.

“Well, you’re up early.”

I immediately spun on my heels, turning to the direction of the voice. It was none other than the Ultimate Baseball Star, Leon Kuwata, running a coal-black comb through his fiery red hair, a grin on his face as he saw me.

“I could say the same,” I commented, leaning against the wall to rest my legs. “I’m surprised to see *you’re* up this early, actually.”

“Huh, why do you say that?” he asked.

“You don’t really strike me as the early bird type. No offense, of course. You just seem like the kind of guy to take a while to get ready.”

“Huh?” His smile wavered momentarily, but ultimately he chuckled. “Isn’t that a little… I don’t know… Girly? Kinda.”

“‘Girly’?” I raised an eyebrow and shook my head. “Nah. I didn’t mean it like that. I just… I dunno. You usually smell like cologne and your clothes are kinda complicated. You just kinda present yourself nicely.”

“Aw, heck, you’re gonna make me blush,” he teased, but the pink coloration was very clear against his cheeks. “Thanks, I try.”

I smirked. “But, you *do* probably still take long.”

He laughed, placing the comb in his pants pocket. “Alright, alright. You win. I’ll give you that. Usually, getting ready *does* take long. But, I guess… not today?”

“You say that like you’re not sure.”

“Kinda. I didn’t sleep well last night,” he admitted. “I actually don’t think I slept at all, really. This place does that to you, I guess. I spent the entire time looking at the ceiling… I can’t describe it. I felt… lost? Empty? Something like that.” He placed his hand on his forehead. “Why am I even telling you this? This is so not cool.”

_You too, huh?_

“It’s fine… really,” I assured, shaking my head and shrugging. “I kinda get it myself. Are you sure you don’t need some rest? I’d maybe just hop back into bed if I were you. It’s no good to be going around here groggy?”

He shook his head. “I feel fine… strangely enough. I don’t get it, I feel wide awake still, even after all of that. I don’t get it at all. But I feel fine. I should be asking you the same, actually.” His fingertips moved towards her eyes and he pulled slightly on the skin beneath. “Don’t you think that *you* need some rest? You’ve got bad bags yourself.”

I mimicked his action, only with my thumbs, rubbing circles around the skin slightly. My eyes went down to the floor momentarily before returning to Leon’s gaze. “Yeah. I’m…” I yawned involuntarily, cutting myself off before saying, “I’m good.”

“You sure?”

“I’m sure.”

“Good, ‘cause, uh, we don’t need another sleeping Hina again. Everyone noticed when you fell asleep in the middle of the meeting. You made Junko laugh. You really slammed onto the desk.”

I laughed sheepishly, forcing a smile. “So *that’s* why, huh? Honestly, I had a really bad headache when I woke up too. I was way too tired. I hope I didn’t cause too much of a scene.”

“Well, it *was* a scene,” he whistled, “but I think Taka was cool with it. So, it’s whatever. He let it slide and he’s the one of us with the biggest stick up his ass here. So why shouldn’t I be?”

“Well, that’s not all that nice, but yeah,” I agreed. “Maybe so… I still feel a little bad about it though, I’m not gonna lie.”

He shrugged. “It’s not really your fault—well, I don’t think it was anyway—but it’s fine. I don’t think anyone *really* cared. Only Junko. And that chick is *weird*! So you have nothing to worry about.”

As if on cue, Junko stumbled out of her room, her hair cascading against her shoulders, black bands wrapped around her hands, but she seemed completely different this morning. What I saw shocked me. Her eyes were *red*—and not red as if she was tired. Her *irises* were red. Bright red. They caught me off guard, making me stumble back slightly from the sheer unexpected appearance of them.

“Who’s way weird?” she asked curiously, attempting to pull her head up into her trademark pigtails. “Junko? ‘Cause, I agree. That bitch is kinda crazy. Probably really kinky.”

“Shit,” Leon muttered under his breath, turning his head down to the floor.

Junko laughed at the spectacle, shaking her head. “It’s fine, homie. I agree. Just makes you a bit of a cunt, me thinks. But, we all are like that. I’m not mad though, just mildly whatever.”

Her tone was strangely calm—simply explanatory—as she spoke. There wasn’t a hint of malice, just that usual tone that was peppered with cheeriness. It was eerie, but in the way right, it was Junko.

Leon pulled his lips back. “Yikes,” he said through gritted teeth. “Sorry. But—”

“Pfft. Nah, it’s cool,” she assured, her grin wider than before. “You’ve probably got at least like… four more people dying before you’re done in.”

His skin turned pale and his lips curled into an awkward smile. “Uh… *right*. Anyway, what I was *going to* ask was… you know, why are your eyes red now?”

“Oh!” Once she was finished with her hair, she let her hands fall to her sides. “I didn’t sleep well,” she singsonged. “Probably wasn’t for the best. But I stayed up reeeally late. It’s one of those times I just couldn’t sleep, you know? One of those days.”

“Oh, uh, right, I mean your *irises* though.” Leon brought his index fingers up to his eyes. “You know. You usually have blue eyes, don’t you?”

“Huh? Nooo?” She raised an eyebrow. “I *always* have red eyes. Are you sure you’re seeing it right? Are you sure you’re the Ultimate Baseball Star? You seem to have mighty bad eyesight, homie. They’ve *always* been red.”

“Wait… what?” I blurted out.

“You’re messing with us,” Leon said, eyes widening in disbelief. “I’m *sure* they were blue. Certain. One-hundred percent. Right, Hina?”

“Yeah… yeah, they were,” I said. “I’m sure they were.”

Junko was so nonchalant about it… it was admittedly a bit offsetting. She seemed so *serious*... I actually couldn’t tell if she was joking or not. There was no telltale grin, no chuckle, no mildly amused expression, or eyes of deceit. Simply a neutral expression as he spoke, but suddenly, the mask cracked, and almost instantaneously she burst out laughing; so much so that she made Leon physically stepped back out of shock.

“Woah!” Leon and I said in unison, the sudden outburst fueled by the shock Junko had just seeded and grew as if decades passed.

“Pffft, ahaha! Holy shit! Did that actually work?!” Amused tears flooded her eyes and she wiped them with her thumbs. “Bahaha!” She snorted, holding her stomach as she threw her upper body forward. It… was scary. Almost instantly, she was back to normal, cracking her fingers. “Okay, that was an exaggeration. Truly, I only found it mildly amusing, my dears!” She weaponized a smirk on her face. “Really though, they’re just contacts. The blue, I mean. My actual eye color is red. My room has a bunch of hard contacts and soft contacts. I’m gonna guess Leon knows the difference?”

“I… I do…” the baseball player hesitantly responded. “Hard are the kinds you keep, but they’re costly to maintain and soft is the kind that’s replaceable, but easier to put on, right?”

“Yup,” Junko responded, flexing her fingers. “So, I figured I just wasn’t really bothered about it this time. I didn’t care. There are more important things than my eyes, honestly. Maybe I’ll put them in later today? Maybe I won’t. Depends on how it goes.”

“Uh, if I may ask, why *do* you put in the contacts?” I asked. “Is it just a fashion model thing, or?”

“‘Fashion model’? What?” She shook her head. “That’s a weird way to put just a model. But no. There’s another reason for it. You know I’m a sociopath already, Hina? ‘Twould be quite the shame if I dropped my entire shounen manga backstory. So I’m gonna hooold back on that for later time. Not because I don’t *wanna*, more so because it’s just more fun that way, you know? I learn about you; you learn about me. We’re a happy family.”

“Wait… sociopath?” Leon asked, eyes widening.

“Oh right. You weren’t there for that.” Junko smacked her lips, looking off to the side. “Huh? Well. Okay. I’m a good girl. Please don’t kill me because you think I’ll kill you. We don’t work like in the movies. Don’t think we do please, Leon-dearie. We aren’t all evil and we aren’t all bad. We’re just different,” she singsonged. “Cool? Cool. What else? Uh, I like your hair. Does that do it?”

“Right?” Leon raised an eyebrow. “Okaaay? I don’t know what response you want from me here.”

“Blah. Me neither. I’m suddenly very bored.” She rolled her eyes. “Hina, are you free today?”

“Well, I don’t have any plans?” I answered. “Why?”

“Why? Well, I want to hang out with the swimmer girl, of course!” she enthused. “Pretty please with rice balls on top?”

“Rice balls?” Leon asked.

“They’re like donuts, but for kids,” Junko answered with a wide smile.

“I don’t think that’s right, Junko, but uh, I’ll be around,” I told her. “Maybe you can knock on my door after lunch then? I should be free around that time.”

“Yeah, of course! I got it!” She nodded vigorously. “But, we should be going for breakfast, right? How about I give you a good taste of Junko’s bacon and eggs then? You know, for friendship purposes and shizz.”

“Friendship purposes…?” Leon started.

“And shizz?” I finished, raising an eyebrow.

“Boo!” She giggled to herself. “Don’t think, homie. Just follow. I’ll give you an extra nice meal! Just you wait. I make some absolute killer bacon and eggs!”

_Junko is kinda weird… but that’s just Junko at this point._

I turned to look at the athlete next to me. “Uh, right, Leon?” 

“Yeah,” he answered. “Yeah, we’re comin’, Junko.”

“Oh, boy! Let’s go, Scooby Gang!” Junko announced, taking long, animated steps towards the dining hall.

“What are you? Twelve?” I heard Leon utter under his breath as he followed, and as did I.

Junko seemed a lot happier this morning than usual, despite her claims about sleep. I wondered if something had happened that I wasn’t informed about. Something that was specific to today. No, that wouldn’t have made any sense. Maybe she was just in a good mood, as she usually was at times, but I could *swear* that smile was a whole lot wider today… Wasn’t it?

Leon and I sat at the table and Junko went into the kitchen. The two of us made small talk about nothing in particular to pass the time. It was mostly about baseball, swapping stories we had forged in the must and grime that he had loathed and I had loved. It was nice to have another athlete around, even if he wasn’t particularly fond of his craft. I could appreciate him. 

Soon, Junko came out, bacon and eggs in hand, the wafting aroma dominating the room with a powerful savory scent, and a wide, proud grin across her face, stretching from ear to ear. It wasn’t as unsettling as it should have been; the pride in her eyes made the expression seem a lot more natural. She was like an accomplished child winning a gold medal on their first sports day. I know I would have smiled like that. And I smiled back, placing my hands on the table as the plates neared it.

“Looks nice,” I commented.

“Hella,” Leon added, smiling himself. 

“Ah, oui! Merci, mes amis! I do appreciate it!” She placed the plates on the table and stepped back. “Bone apple teeth.”

“Uh, isn’t it supposed to be bon appetit?” Leon asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Shh,” Junko shushed. “Less moaning, more munching.”

Taking a knife and fork, I began eating, and Leon soon afterward… only when I started, I couldn’t stop! The taste was absolutely amazing! I couldn’t help it. I never expected Junko would have been such a great cook, but the culinarily talented was apparently abundant under those with the Ultimate title. All the flavors meshed well, creating a satisfying cocktail of savory flavored, and before I knew it. The plate—actually, both plates—were empty.

“I take it that was good?” Junko asked with a smile. 

I nodded frantically. “Amazing, honestly. Like… wow… Those were some really good bacon and eggs, Junko.”

Leon nodded in corroboration. “I second this, honestly. Those were real great.”

“Aw shucks. You’re gonna make me blush! Thanks for that, I usually just make for me and my sister, she tells it’s good, but I’ve never made for anyone else. So, gracias, mi agimos.”

“You have a sister?” I asked. “Oh cool. Older or younger?”

“Younger,” Junko answered. “She’s cute. Maybe I’ll tell you about her later. Do you have a sibling?”

“A brother,” I answered. “He’s also younger and it’s just me and him.”

Junko nodded twice. “It’s just me and my sister too.” She then turned to Leon. “What about you? Do you have any siblings?”

He shook his head. “No. I have a cousin who’s uh… who’s like a younger sister, I guess…? Otherwise, no. I don’t have any siblings.”

“Pfft, lucky,” Junko teased. “You don’t have the absolute terrible pain that is sibling fights.”

“Yeah, but all the attention is on you when you’re at home,” Leon countered. “And you don’t want your dad on your ass all the time. No-o-ot fun.”

She chuckled and nodded. “I get it, I get it. Yeah, that makes sense then. I guess they both have their ups and downs. Wouldn’t you agree, Hina?”

I nodded, pushing the plate away from me. “Mhm, but I love my little bro too much to the point where the fights aren’t that big of a problem. I just kinda deal with it, honestly. He’s really sweet, he’s probably the reason I keep calm in my events sometimes.”

Junko snickered. “An incestuous swimmer, huh? I bet you’re all nudists too.”

Her statement brought a sudden darkness to my cheeks that I couldn’t contain and my muscles tensed. I couldn’t even bring myself to be disgusted. The shock of Junko’s forwardness was simply too much—and too unexpected. I shuddered and my tan skin turned slightly paler than usual. I turned to look at Leon and I could physically feel the awkwardness of being the third-hand in this situation coming from him. I saw him fairly mouth, ‘Holy shit.’ 

I then looked back to Junko, who was still chuckling. I opened my mouth to speak, but the words were nonexistent. My thoughts had vanished, and everything I wanted to tell her just… wasn’t there anymore.

All I could do was weakly say, “Stop… it’s not like that at all…”

Junko’s chuckling turned to full-on laughter and she clutched her chest and tried to kill her humor, shaking her head, though the smile remained on her face. “Sorry, that was actually fucked up. I didn’t mean to do that to you, Hina. I apologize. Sumimasen. Uh…” She frowned, actually looking quite solemn… which was a bit strange for *Junko*. “Yeah… yeah, that was a bit of an asshole thing to do, I think.” She extended her hand. “Truce?”

I understood and taking her hand, I firmly shook it. “Truce.”

“Yay!” the model enthused. “Look at that, Leon! We made a truce! Hina and I are best friends!”

“I can… see that?” he responded as more of a question. On his face I could see what he was thinking: Junko is so weird.

And, I thought he was right. Junko *was* weird, but… probably not bad.


End file.
